Fix-it First
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Congress’s Messy ‘Fix-It-First’ Fight Heats Up
A long-fought effort to get states to spend more of their federal infrastructure dollars on fixing highways rather than building new ones is in peril in the newly GOP-lead head house — and if it succeeds, it could force President Biden to take an unprecedented stand in favor of progressive road priorities.
January 23, 2023
If Trump Wants to “Fix It First,” a Big Spending Spree Won’t Cut It
It's hard to pin Donald Trump down on policy issues. But let's take one of his recent infrastructure pronouncements literally and see where the implications lead.
January 27, 2017
3 Reasons Politicians Like Building New Roads More Than Fixing Old Ones
American transportation policy places a premium on delivering big, shiny new things.
September 1, 2015
Ohio Cities to State DOT: No More New Roads, Just Fix What We Have
Given that the federal Highway Trust Fund is broke and the Interstate Highway System is more or less complete, maybe -- just maybe! -- it doesn't make sense to keep expanding highways. And if there's one place in the country where it's especially urgent to stop building more highways, it's northeast Ohio.
April 2, 2015
How Reason’s Highway Report Works Against Urban Areas
Just what does good state highway performance look like, according to the climate change skeptics at the Reason Foundation? This "libertarian think tank" -- funded by Exxon Mobil and the Koch Family Foundations, among others -- has a funny way of judging these things. But media outlets all over the United States are reporting its findings as if they're gospel.
July 9, 2013
T4A: One in Nine American Bridges Structurally Deficient
There's a new report out on the state of America's bridges, and with it a new raft of disturbing statistics. Nearly one in nine, or 11 percent, are structurally deficient -- meaning a bridge inspector has rated a major component of the structure to be in poor condition. The average age of a bridge in the United States is 43 years; the average design life, 50 years.
June 20, 2013
Is ASCE Failing to Tell America to Spend Wisely on Infrastructure?
The American Society of Civil Engineers released its new report card for U.S. infrastructure yesterday. The topline grades: The country’s “GPA” has gone from a D four years ago to a D+; roads have gone from a D- to a D; transit has stayed steady at a D; and rail made the biggest leap, from a C- to a C+.
March 20, 2013
Obama Proposes a “Fix-It-First” Program For Roads
In last night’s State of the Union address, President Obama launched a “Fix-It-First” program to repair aging infrastructure and put people to work.
February 13, 2013
MAP-21 Puts the Squeeze on Bridge Repair and Bikes
One of the most popular elements of the new transportation authorization is its consolidation or elimination of 60 federal programs. But this cleanup is not without its casualties. One of those casualties is the off-system bridge program. And another one, indirectly, is funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects.
July 26, 2012
Fix-It-First Bill Introduced in Senate
Highway maintenance has been getting short shrift in state budgets, according to a recent report from Smart Growth America. But a bill introduced in the Senate today seeks to address the imbalance between road construction and maintenance.
June 15, 2011