-
Monthly archive for July, 2011
The Daily Dig: Obama Gets Strict With Auto Fuel-Economy Standards
Friday, July 29th, 2011
• On Friday, President Obama is announcing higher new fuel economy standards for American cars, from 27 mpg to 54.5 mpg by 2025. (NYT) • Relatives of those killed in China’s train crash mourned their loved ones and voiced anger Read more ›
10 of the Dumbest Road Signs You’ll Ever See
Friday, July 29th, 2011
It’s been a pretty serious week for infrastructure fans, so we thought it was about time for a laugh — or ten. With hats tipped to Buzz Feed, here are a few road signs probably too ridiculous to be real, which Read more ›
If the Debt Ceiling Isn’t Raised, What Will Happen to U.S. Infrastructure?
Thursday, July 28th, 2011
The Bipartisan Policy Center has released a report (pdf) on what will happen to various federal programs if the United States fails to raise the debt ceiling by August 2. After that date, according to the report, U.S. spending will Read more ›
The Daily Dig: London Marks One Year ’til Summer Olympics
Thursday, July 28th, 2011
• On Wednesday, officials in London assessed the progress in building the Olympics infrastructure as the Games are now less than a year away. (AP) (AFP) • Chinese premier Wen Jiabao is promising to punish any corrupt officials who may Read more ›
How Much Will It Cost You If We Fail to Invest in Future Infrastructure?
Wednesday, July 27th, 2011
If we had a dollar for every time we wrote about how America’s infrastructure is declining enough to endanger our economic and social future, well, we’d be writing this from a yacht in Ibiza. But it’s helpful to visualize just Read more ›
The Daily Dig: Mass Post Office Shutdown Announced
Wednesday, July 27th, 2011
• The U.S. Postal Service announced on Tuesday that around 3,700 post offices could be closed across the nation. (WashPost) (AP) (NYT) • Lawmakers on Tuesday didn’t appear to do much negotiating to get the FAA’s operations back to normal. Read more ›
Airlines Impose ‘You’re Not Taxed’ Tax After FAA Shutdown
Wednesday, July 27th, 2011
In case you haven’t heard, there’s a stalemate in Congress. Not that one. On Friday Congress adjourned without extending the Federal Aviation Administration’s authorization. The F.A.A. has operated without a long-term authorization plan since 2007 through a series of 20 Read more ›
The Daily Dig: U.S. Trucking Money Linked to Afghan Taliban
Tuesday, July 26th, 2011
• A military-led investigation has found that parts of a $2.16 billion U.S. government contract for transportation in Afghanistan is being funneled to the Taliban. (WashPost) • Congress doesn’t seem to be in the mood for compromising to resolve the Read more ›
Two Alternatives to the Gas Tax
Tuesday, July 26th, 2011
New reports keep telling us to fix America’s crumbling infrastructure, but they don’t tell us how. The most obvious solution is to increase revenue by raising the gas tax, but public officials refuse to consider that response, even as the Highway Read more ›
The Giant Drill Underneath Park Avenue
Monday, July 25th, 2011
Here’s a modern engineering question: What do you do with a 200-ton drill that’s spent the last 4 years burrowing out subway tunnels 14 stories below Park Avenue? Do you spend the money to pull it out, transport it, and Read more ›
The Daily Dig: China’s Rail System Reels After Deadly Crash
Monday, July 25th, 2011
• After a high-speed train collision on the outskirts of Wenzhou killed 36 people and wounded another 192, several officials have been sacked and the government is under pressure to ensure that these types of crashes don’t occur in the Read more ›
High-Speed Rail Trains Collide in China, Killing Dozens
Monday, July 25th, 2011
On Saturday night two high-speed rail trains collided in China. According to Xinhua, the country’s official news agency, train D3115, heading for a city called Fuzhou, lost power on the tracks after being struck by lightening. Train D301, also heading for Fuzhou, slammed Read more ›
If the World Lived Like New Yorkers, We’d All Fit Into Texas
Friday, July 22nd, 2011
The wonderful density blog Per Square Mile gives us a graphic rendering of how much space the world’s population of 6.9 billion would need if it were as dense as certain cities. If everyone on earth were packed together like Read more ›
The Daily Dig: Extreme Heat Bakes Much of U.S.
Friday, July 22nd, 2011
• A major heat wave has hit most of the country this week and forecasters say today will be especially hot. (AP) (NYT) (Reuters) • Related: state governments have cut money from programs that help poor people cool their homes. Read more ›
The Lonesome Death of a Child Pedestrian
Thursday, July 21st, 2011
Last week a woman named Raquel Nelson was convicted of second-degree vehicular homicide in the death of her 4-year-old son. The charge suggests that Nelson was driving, but in fact she was a pedestrian at the time of the accident. In Read more ›
The Daily Dig: Last Shuttle Returns to Earth on Final Trip
Thursday, July 21st, 2011
• At 5:56 am this morning, the Space Shuttle Atlantis touched down at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the final time. (NYT) (AP) • A blog post looks at how Ford is recycling tires and combining the materials Read more ›
Are We Drastically Underestimating the ‘Social Cost’ of Carbon Emissions?
Wednesday, July 20th, 2011
The “social cost” of carbon emissions is an estimate of economic damage sustained by the release of greenhouse gases. It takes into account the damage caused by climate change — diminished agricultural production, health problems, and property damaged by increased Read more ›
The Daily Dig: Is American Urban Graffiti on the Rise?
Wednesday, July 20th, 2011
• Incidences of graffiti and tagging seems to be increasing in cities across the U.S. (NYT) • As the Space Shuttle lands on Thursday, an article looks at how Mission Control has been critical to the program’s success. (AP) • Read more ›
The Daily Dig: Why Small-Town Airline Service is in Jeopardy
Tuesday, July 19th, 2011
• 24 small towns across the country may lose airline service because Delta plans to eliminate flights which the company says they can’t afford. (NYT) • Another major dust storm swept through Phoenix, Arizona, on Monday. (AP) • What are Read more ›
New Report: 1 in 5 Pilots Lives 750 Miles or More from Base Airport
Tuesday, July 19th, 2011
In early 2009 Continental Flight 3407 crashed into a private home en route to Buffalo International Airport. All 49 people on board died in the accident, as did one person on the ground. The flight crew reported “significant ice buildup” on the Read more ›
