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INFRASTRUCTURES' FUNDS * USA - Highways, Bridges Slated for $30 Billion Under Stimulus Plan
Washington,DC,USA -AP/Bloomberg/Transport Topics -15 Jun 2009: -- Road projects, railroads and airports would get almost $44 billion over two years under a proposed stimulus plan, with about $30 billion slated for highways and bridges, Bloomberg reported Thursday... The transportation projects are included in an $825 billion proposed Democratic package aimed at jumpstarting the U.S. economy, released Thursday in Washington, Bloomberg reported... Also included in the program is $32 billion to upgrade electrical distribution system and more than $20 billion in tax cuts to promote the development of alternatives fuels, the Associated Press reported...* Poll: Americans Strongly Back Increase in Infrastructure Spending
Washington,DC,USA -U.S. News & World Report, by Amanda Ruggeri -8 Jan 2009: -- A new national poll shows that 94 percent of Americans are in support of a nationwide infrastructure-building effort, and 81 percent are prepared to pay 1 percent more in federal taxes for it.. However, more than half of those polled say their chief consideration is either the accountability or the transparency of the projects, while just a third as many say "measurable results" is the top priority. The state and local officials who make up the infrastructure advocacy coalition Building America's Future, which commissioned the poll, were unsurprised by the results... The poll does say that Americans see energy facilities as the top priority, followed by roads and highways, then clean water...
* Why You'll Love Paying for Roads That Used to Be Free
New York,NY,USA -The New York Times, by Eric A. Morris -6 Jan 2009: -- While the immediate reaction of the public toward various sorts of street-pricing schemes has been generally negative, writes Eric A. Morris of UCLA's Institute of Transportation Studies, feelings are likely to change as the congestion-fighting power of pricing schemes is demonstrated... Ideas like congestion pricing, value pricing, or variable tolling have raised concerns about the working class and poor being victimized by "Lexus lanes" and free roads becoming more congested as drivers avoid toll roads... According to Morris, the best solution is to vary tolls based on real-time traffic conditions, as is being done in pilot toll projects like those on Interstate 394 in Minnesota and Interstate 15 in California. Whether people will want to pay tolls to avoid longer commutes likely depends on the price and how much they value the time they could save. "Tolling will introduce a new level of flexibility and freedom into your life, giving you the power to tailor your travel costs to fit your schedule," Morris writes...
* Toll Road Clash Appears Likely
Houston,TX,USA -The Houston Chronicle, by Patrick Driscoll -2 Jan 2009: -- Texas state lawmakers are expected to take their dispute over how to privatize the state's toll roads into the next legislative session... Insiders say there is little else lawmakers can do since a special task force comprised of state legislators and experts were unable to reach a consensus on critical issues such as local-versus-state turf battles, and whether toll rates are high enough... In a letter released with the state task force's 128-page report, state Sen. Tommy Williams (R-) and state Rep. Wayne Smith (R-) wrote that they also believe the report inflated the merits of privatization, undersold government financing and non-toll solutions, and portrayed local control of toll projects in a poor light... Among other things, the report concludes that private financing is an option Texas cannot afford to pass up, and that a central agency or government-owed company should be formed to advise local and state officials on how to assemble privatization deals...
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