California changes high-speed rail bidding rules

Amanda Bayhi - Apr 19, 2013

(Photo: California High-Speed Rail Authority) California high-speed rail officials said Thursday that they have changed their rules for selecting a builder for phase one in the Central Valley, the Los Angeles Times reported. In March 2012, the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s ...

Slow trains going faster

John Latta - Apr 12, 2013

Anderson Cooper upsets people. I like that. It’s a big part of what he’s supposed to do. This time it’s the high speed rail folk (and it’s not their first time because Cooper has been here before). Their complaint is that ...

Obama’s budget leaves out funding for transportation projects, Shuster says

Amanda Bayhi - Apr 11, 2013

On Wednesday, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Representative Bill Shuster said President Obama did not include a way to pay for the transportation projects in his proposed budget, The Hill reported. The proposed budget calls for $50 billion in infrastructure spending, ...

Obama’s 2014 budget provides $50 billion increase in infrastructure spending

Amanda Bayhi - Apr 10, 2013

President Barack Obama on April 10 presented Congress with a $3.8 trillion budget plan for the 2014 fiscal year, which includes $50 billion for infrastructure spending, according to the Associated Press. The $50 billion is intended for infrastructure investments and includes ...

Munich in Winter

Better Roads Staff - Mar 06, 2013

Before next month’s huge bauma construction equipment trade show in Munich, Germany, the world’s largest this year, was January’s two-day pre-bauma media dialogue. It was wet, cold, snowy, windy and a blast. I have my favorite indoor and warm places there. ...

RoadWorks

Better Roads Staff - Feb 18, 2012

Inside the highway and bridge industries By John Latta, Tina Grady Barbaccia and Mike Anderson Hey Washington! You’re out of touch and we don’t trust you. Most Americans think their transportation system is in bad shape. But they prefer tolls to an increased gas ...

Financial District

Better Roads Staff - Oct 04, 2011

Follow the Money A fiscal year 2012 transportation spending breakdown By John Latta Sometimes this page is used to help readers read between the lines. The House Appropriations Committee has released its fiscal year 2012 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development funding bill. The legislation ...

One II One

Brooke Wisdom - May 09, 2011

A NEW SERIES: ONE II ONE WITH SOME OF THE MOST INTERESTING PEOPLE IN THE BUSINESS Ray LaHood Talks to Editor In Chief John Latta America’s 16th Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood was a congressional staffer for 17 years and a member of ...

Lattatudes

Brooke Wisdom - May 09, 2011

Now is the Moment When you are the person at the very top of the ladder, the world looks has to look different. That’s why Harry Truman had his The Buck Stops Here sign on his Oval Office desk. Transportation Secretary Ray ...

Oh man, is this embarrassing or what.

John Latta - Apr 13, 2011

I like writing headlines. It's one of my favorite things as Editor of Better Roads. So how could I resist passing this one along: Amtrak CEO ditches broken train to travel by car to ribbon cutting of Wilmington’s Joe Biden station Seems the ...

ARTBA to Obama: National rail plan needs dedicated funding, competitive bidding

Tina Grady Barbaccia - Jun 09, 2010

A strategic rail plan being prepared by the U.S. Department of Transportation should propose dedicated financing mechanisms outside of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) to support high speed passenger rail, encourage open competition for work on all types of rail ...

Financial District: High-speed rail going slow

Brooke Wisdom - Jun 01, 2010

People responsible for building roads aren’t the only ones wondering where future funding, both short and long term, will come from. High-speed rail may be on the slow track to funding. The problem – for both rail and road builders – ...