Is U.S. Infrastructure Destined to Crumble?

U.S. News recently spoke with Robert Puentes about the most pressing infrastructure challenges, how Los Angeles and Detroit are leading the way, and what the next president can and can't do.

How Driverless Cars Can Reshape Our Cities

"I think it might help public transport in many ways. The first, early adopters could very well be a fleet owner like a transit agency. If the economics of driverless buses work out, they may be able to save costs and get more buses on the road."

Broken Trains, Failing Finances: Report Exposes Deep Problems At Metro

The problems swamping the D.C. region’s transit system are deeper than the public has been led to believe but not insurmountable, according to a report prepared for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) by the global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company.

Delta Flies Solo on Air Traffic Control Lobbying

When a major airline breaks from the rest of the industry on a legislative proposal to overhaul the nation's air traffic control system, it doesn't go unnoticed.

California Assesses Infrastructure’s Effects on Traffic Patterns

That governments are now focusing on how much driving a project creates, rather than how much congestion it creates, isn’t altogether surprising, said Roy Kienitz, a D.C.-based consultant at the Eno Center for Transportation and the former under secretary for policy at the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Appropriators’ move to free up earmarks shows wonkiness of transportation spending

"Any provision that cause(s) increased outlays are a problem in a highway bill but not a problem in an approps bill, which is why the omnibus, and not FAST Act, wound up carrying the language,” said Jeff Davis, senior fellow at the Eno Center for Transportation.

Travel groups urge Congress to study airline competition

“On one hand, many former hubs have seen a significant decline in traffic: Memphis, Cleveland, Cincinnati are just a few examples,” said Paul Lewis, vice president for policy and finance at the Eno Center for Transportation. “That said, these regions might not be profitable hubs in any case, and the consolidation of hubs and airlines might be yielding some efficiencies to keep fares lower than would be in a more dispersed case.”

White House pushes to make driverless cars a reality

The federal government choosing to stake its regulatory claim helps ease worries about what industry leaders long feared would happen — a mishmash of polices that differs by state, said Eno Center for Transportation's vice president, Paul Lewis. "If we leave it up to state governments to do a patchwork of regulations, then they’re dealing with a very challenging regulatory environment," Lewis said.

Air traffic controllers: US faces up to shortage

One reason for the failure is the temporary closure of the FAA's academy in Oklahoma City in 2013, says policy analyst and aviation working group head at the Eno Center for Transportation, Dr Rui Neiva. "The academy was closed for nine months because of the 2013 US budget sequester and 2013 government shutdown," he says.

More Rides, Shorter Trips: Agency Offers 3 Plans To Improve Northeast Corridor

Paul Lewis, a transportation policy analyst at the Eno Center for Transportation, a Washington research group, believes even seemingly simple improvements — like straightening the tracks — will be difficult.