Dan Hennessey, P.E., T.E., PTOE, PTP, RSP1

"Governance" is a wonky word, but what it really raises are values like "responsiveness," "customer service," "accountability, "and "efficiency," as well as issues like "who decides" and "who gets served." Those are the real stakes Chicagoland and the SF Bay Area need to address as they work to finally remedy the governance fragmentation that has inhibited improvement of public transit for their residents. Outright "consolidation" may or may not be the right answer - the right answer needs to be identified not in terms of form, but in terms of optimized outcomes for the public. https://lnkd.in/esmZ34e4

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This is an important read for any practicing freight rail professional. Updates to Safety Requirements for Long Trains Recommended by TRB and the National Academies Longer manifest trains have more cars, possibly a greater variety of car types and sizes, and more requirements for power distributed across the train in comparison with shorter manifest trains, which can make train handling more demanding. For this and other reasons, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) should revise its Risk Reduction Program (RRP) rule to require railroads to address all major operational changes in their RRPs in an explicit and comprehensive manner. Long Freight Trains: Ensuring Safe Operation, Mitigating Adverse Impacts (TRB Special Report 353), released today from TRB and the National Academies, examines – in response to a request from the U.S. Congress – the safety challenges arising from the operation of longer freight trains, and particularly from the increased use of longer manifest trains that transport a mix of freight in many different types of railcars. The report makes several other recommendations to the FRA and also examines issues such as the impacts of increasing freight train length on the frequency and duration of blocked highway-rail grade crossings and the scheduling and efficient operations of Amtrak intercity passenger trains.

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Will restrictions on new bike lanes improve traffic flow? How about increased fines for "blocking the box"? Speeding up construction of new highways? Opening the new transit lines on Eglinton and Finch? Effective policy that will improve traffic congestion starts with data. We can use GIS to analyze big data sets to determine the real impact of each potential change. Systems thinking tells us that no change can be considered in isolation: we must look at the system as a whole. There is an optimal combination of changes that will have the maximum positive impact on congestion. Because the system is dynamic, we must continue to evaluate and adapt over time--there is no one quick fix. All of these ideas have merit and should be considered. But we don't need to use a trial-and-error approach. Through spatial data analysis, correlation, and simulation with GIS, new policies, regulations, and funding can drive improvements much more quickly and effectively. https://lnkd.in/ghgbaYMu

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Ridership is returning to pre-pandemic levels and it’s important to remember safety first. As developers build and expand, it’s cost effective to consider the implications of working near rail lines and having to coordinate with the railroads. There are 7 major railroads in the U.S. and more than 500 short lines, which means over 150,000 miles of track with approximately 210,000 at-grade crossings. UNICUS Consulting can save you time and money when planning your next project or if problems have developed during current operations. We coordinate between the government, railroads, and developers to streamline the complicated and often confusing process of permitting, diagnostics, and project management. We are eager to make your lives easier!

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🚆 Senate Appropriations Committee Advances FY25 Transportation Appropriations Bill 🚆 The Senate Committee on Appropriations has taken a significant step forward with advancing the FY25 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations Bill, passing it with a strong bipartisan vote. This legislation is crucial for the future of public transit, passenger rail, and infrastructure development across the nation. Key highlights include 🤝 $21.3 billion for public transit, a 2.1% increase from FY24. 🤝 $16.7 billion for passenger and freight rail, a 2.7% increase from FY24. 🤝 $2.63 billion was allocated for Amtrak, significantly surpassing the House bill. 🤝 $3.9 billion for Capital Investment Grants (CIG) to support community infrastructure projects. Notably, the bill emphasizes accessibility and equity, with provisions such as a 100% federal share for Enhanced Mobility of Seniors & Individuals with Disabilities and Rural Area formula grants. It also expands public transit agencies' authority for land acquisition. 🚍 This bill is a major victory for public transportation, ensuring robust funding and policy support for sustainable, connected, and equitable transit systems nationwide. It includes a note of the importance of long-distance passenger rail routes, which are especially vital to residents of rural areas, and the need to sustain such routes and services to ensure connectivity throughout the national network. #PublicTransit #Infrastructure #Transportation #Senate #FY25 #Rail #UrbanDevelopment #BetterMobility https://lnkd.in/eypgKnqz

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NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO, NPR Why California's high speed rail was always going to blow out "Today, we look at case studies from California's high speed rail project to the Sydney Opera House to consider the do's and don'ts of ambitious projects." Darian Woods on Planet Money, NPR. Listen to episode here: https://lnkd.in/epRezPkS Dan Gardner Penguin Random House Pan Macmillan Random House Group Ltd Penguin Random House Canada LearnX Oxford Global Projects Alexander Budzier Project Management Institute Association for Project Management PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOCIETY IPMA: International Project Management Association IAPM International Association of Project Managers Major Projects Association The Economist Financial Times The Wall Street Journal Harvard Business Review Engineering News-Record #BigThings #business #policy #success #megaprojects #projectmanagement #projectleadership #projects #projectsuccess #CostOverrun #behavioraleconomics #behavioralscience #technology #engineering #politics #leadership #innovation #science #economy #climatechange 

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Caltrain and SamTrans leadership made no qualms about opposing a recent transportation bill, authored by state senators Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, and Aisha Wahab, D-Fremont, that would push for transit agency consolidation and strengthen the authority of the regional transportation financing agency. https://lnkd.in/gPzdhTsa #transitconsolidation #regionaltransportation #sb1031 #bayareatransit #transportationfunding

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“Investing in transit-oriented development revitalizes commuter hubs, promotes walkable neighborhoods, and generates economic growth,” said Governor Murphy. 🚉🏗 Last week Governor Phil Murphy announced $2.6 million in Transit Village grants to assist eight municipalities advance development projects that will improve the quality-of-life in five counties. 💰 Read more: https://lnkd.in/dQMtXckm #NJTOD #NJTransitVillages #TransitVillages #njdevelopment #sustainabledevelopment #walkability

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On Thursday, October 24, 2024, California Secretary of Transportation Toks Omishakin announced at the North Berkeley BART Station that BART has been awarded $25 million from the Cycle 7 Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) for the North Berkeley Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Mobility Enhancements Project. “This funding makes possible two plazas plus bike and pedestrian improvements, which will help transform the North Berkeley BART station area into a mixed-use, sustainable community,” says BART Board Director Rebecca Saltzman, who represents the station. “By enhancing access to public transit and improving bike and pedestrian infrastructure, projects like this will reduce dependency on personal vehicles.” Key project components include BART rider parking within a TOD garage, publicly accessible open spaces including an intermodal transit plaza, and walking and biking enhancements around the station. The TOD will transform the main North Berkeley Station parking lot into housing and open space. The TIRCP funds are critical to supporting investments that enhance access to BART for current and future BART riders. TIRCP funds will be used to enhance walking and biking infrastructure and augment multimodal connections. These enhancements are expected to boost ridership by facilitating safe pedestrian and bike access and promoting non-automotive transportation. The estimated total cost for the Mobility Enhancements Project is $37 million. Remaining funding sources are from local and state contributions. The overall North Berkeley Station TOD project prioritizes affordable housing, aligns with BART’s TOD Policy goals and meets the strategic objectives of the TIRCP program. The project will consist of five residential buildings that will be built in phases. BART estimates that the 739 new homes in the TOD, with approximately half affordable for households at or below 80% of Area Median Income, would generate roughly 750 new trips per day by 2031.

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For #BusMonth, we're reposting an article from The Urbanist about King County Metro breaking ground on its innovative #ElectricBus Interim Base in the City of Tukwila (from March 2024). From the article: "Metro plans to invest in numerous sustainability features at Interim Base, such as more reflective concrete instead of black asphalt to reduce the heat island effect and installation of drought-tolerant plants to reduce water use. Consequently, the project is expected to score at the LEED Platinum certification level, as required by [King County’s] Green Building Ordinance." Link: https://lnkd.in/gehCJdRQ #Electrification #Sustainability #BuiltEnvironment Image alt text: An image of a design rendering featuring the Interim Base electric bus charging station in Tukwila, Washington. (Image courtesy of King County Metro). The bus base features a light-colored concrete construction with rows of overhead structures where the buses will be parked. The structures will hold charging equipment, which can be lowered and connected to the battery systems on top of buses. Drought-tolerant plants line one side of the bus base perimeter.

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San Francisco sues Oakland over plans to rename airport The city of San Francisco has filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Oakland over plans to rename the Metropolitan Oakland International Airport to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport. San Francisco argues that the renaming would infringe on its trademark for "San Francisco International Airport" and cause confusion among travelers. The lawsuit accuses Oakland of unlawfully incorporating San Francisco's trademarked name to increase passengers and profits. San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu stated that Oakland's refusal to engage in discussions of alternative names led to the lawsuit. The lawsuit claims that the renaming would lead to confusion and economic harm for San Francisco International Airport. San Francisco has owned the federal trademark for its airport's name since the 1950s. Attempts to reach Oakland officials for discussions have reportedly been unanswered. The Herald IPQuad Partners #AirportTrademarkDispute #SanFranciscoVsOakland #BrandIdentity #LegalConflict #TravelConfusion #IntellectualPropertyLaw #AirportNamingRights #TrademarkInfringement #RegionalTourism #LegalAction #ip #intellectualproperty #ipquad #ipquadpartners #ipbulletin #bulletin #ipnews Source: https://lnkd.in/ggQVAMpy

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#DOT Stories | State Departments of #Transportation have the enormous job of ensuring safe, efficient, and resilient transportation infrastructure statewide. Today, we're highlighting some of our favorite stories of DOTs using big data to get ahead of their state's biggest #mobility challenges. Read below to see how Georgia Department of Transportation is using real-time traffic data to minimize disruptions from #construction on one of its busiest #highway interchanges. Next, see how Caltrans used O-D and volume data to understand why trucks were cutting through residential neighborhoods, and coordinate with local agencies to keep them on safer, more efficient #freight routes. Last but not least, Nevada Department of Transportation won #NEVI funding with a data-driven grant application that will help them install equitable #EVcharging infrastructure on regional connectors throughout the state.

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Some of the transportation problems of today are the products of decades of policy decisions and reversals and require intersectional research. #TRBvolunteer Hermanus Steyn of Kittelson & Associates, Inc. puts his skills at breaking down silos to work on these problems as Chair of the Design Section of TRB's standing technical committees. Learn more to see if you want to get involved too! https://ow.ly/Ui8250Uof5R

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U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif) announced both the Contra Costa Transportation Authority and the California Department of Transportation will receive $220.6 million in federal funding for I-680 Improvements and Central Valley High-Speed Rail. These funds come through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Infrastructure Project Assistance (MEGA) Program. More than $54 million will go toward the Madera High-Speed Rail Station Project to “construct a high-speed rail station for the Merced-Bakersfield California High-Speed Rail Interim Service.” Read the full article on RT&S at https://lnkd.in/e69B5Txf. From designing resilient bridges and bulkheads to efficient pump stations and intricate tunnels, Stiver specializes in both above and below-ground projects. While we provide the best in all of our areas of expertise, structural design is at the core of every task. For this reason, we are equipped to guide you from mapping conceptual design to construction oversight. Find out what distinguishes us from others at https://lnkd.in/ga3MwmHQ. #stivereng #structuralengineers #structuralengineering #structuraldesign

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With the help of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Biden-Harris Administration, America's first high-speed rail lines are under construction, including Brightline West, which will provide trips between Las Vegas and Southern California in just over two hours.

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Officials from BART, Caltrain, and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency are working to address a combined $700 million budget shortfall by 2027, driven by reduced post-pandemic ridership. If funding gaps aren’t closed, service cuts may follow, affecting not only transit riders but the entire region’s traffic and mobility. https://lnkd.in/dYzWzHDT #PublicTransit #BayAreaTransit #TransitFunding #SustainableTransport #SavePublicTransit

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Transit Briefs: VIA Rail launches RFQ for locomotives & cars to replace its Long-Distance, Regional & Remote fleet; ADOT advances its Phoenix-to-Tucson passenger rail study; SEPTA reports ridership; San Diego MTS to develop an equity statement & policy: https://lnkd.in/enrEfssB

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