Infrastructure

The outgoing Transportation secretary said the nation's infrastructure was "falling way behind other countries."

Your morning transportation speed-read:

A pair of Asian airlines is offering child-free "quiet zones" on their airplanes.

Japanese automaker Toyota's Scion iQ model has been rated the cheapest car to own over the lifespan of the vehicle.

Houston's William P. Hobby Airport is unveiling its international expansion plans.

Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli (R) is backing changes to the state's current Gov. Bob McDonnell (R)'s transportation plan, which calls for eliminating the state's gas tax.

Your morning transportation speed-read:

Major League Baseball player Sergio Romo is not being charged for a New Year's Day run-in with Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials at Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport.

Airline mergers do not appear to have drastically changed the way the industry operates, according to at least one report.

An Amtrak train derailed over the weekend in Los Angeles, but it was not carrying any passengers.

State lawmakers in Virginia are beginning to debate Gov. Bob McDonnell's (R) plan to eliminate its gas tax.

Your morning transportation speed-read:

The cleanliness of hygienic toilets at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport is being questioned.

Delta Airlines is opening outdoor Sky Club lounges for passengers at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport is expecting to break traffic records the day after the National Football League's Super Bowl 47.

Democrats in Virginia have countered Gov. Bob McDonnell's (R) transportation funding proposal, which eliminates the state's gas tax.

Your morning transportation speed-read:

San Francisco is considering renaming its airport after one of the first openly gay politicians in the U.S., who was killed while he was a member of the city's Board of Supervisors.

Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire (D), who has been mentioned as a potential replacement for Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, called for her state to focus on transportation funding and education in her final speech.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) is pushing for a tax increase to pay for transportation projects.

Customer service agents at American Airlines voted against joining the Communication Workers of America union.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) has unveiled a transportation funding plan that calls for eliminating the tax on gasoline purchases in his state.

Gas taxes are traditionally used by both the federal and state governments to fund transportation projects.

But McDonnell, who was considered a potential vice presidential nominee for Republicans in 2012, said his state would be better off without the 17.5 cents per gallon tax on gasoline.

To replace it, McDonnell is calling for a 0.8 percent increase in Virginia's state sales tax to generate revenue that would be dedicated to transportation.

"Declining funds for infrastructure maintenance, stagnant motor fuels tax revenues, increased demand for transit and passenger rail, and the growing cost of major infrastructure projects necessitate enhancing and restructuring the Commonwealth's transportation program and the way it is funded," McDonnell said in a statement announcing his proposal, which he said would generate $3.1 billion for transportation projects in Virginia over the next five years.

Federal Transit Administrator (FTA) Peter Rogoff told lawmakers Thursday that it would cost nearly $11 billion to repair and fortify public transportation systems that were damaged by Hurricane Sandy.

Transit systems in states like New York and New Jersey were badly damaged roads and railways by flooding when Sandy made landfall along the northeast Atlantic Ocean coast as a category 1 hurricane.

Appearing at a hearing of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs’ Housing, Transportation and Community Development Subcommittee, Rogoff said it would take $12 billion of the Obama administration’s $60 billion Sandy recovery proposal to restore transit to pre-hurricane levels.

“President Obama’s Supplemental Request for Disaster Assistance seeks $60.4 billion in federal resources for response, recovery, and mitigation [from Hurricane Sandy],” he told lawmakers.

 “The Department of Transportation’s share of the request is $12.07 billion, and of that, $11.7 billion –  the majority portion – would directly support the FTA’s effort to repair and replace the affected public transit infrastructure and make it more resilient,” he continued. 

A large majority of U.S. residents what Congress to spend more money on transportation infrastructure, according to poll conducted on behalf of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM).

The AEM, which represents companies that make the machines used in construction projects, said Wednesday that its poll showed 77 percent of American citizens are in favor of "rebuilding" or "modernization" infrastructure in the U.S.

The poll, which was conducted by the Clarus Research Group, also found that 60 percent of its respondents were not aware of the gap being the amount of money that is collected by the 18.4 cents-per-gallon gas tax that is normally used to fund transportation projects and the current levels of spending in the recently approved highway bill. 

Lawmakers in the Senate will hold a hearing this week to discuss rebuilding infrastructure that was damaged by Hurricane Sandy.

The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee's Housing, Transportation and Community Development subcommittee will meet Thursday to hear from transportation officials in New York and New Jersey about the cost of rebuilding parts of their systems that were damaged during the storm.

The hearing is latest in a series of Capitol Hill inquires into the massive storm, which badly damaged roads and railways along the East Coast with flooding.

A prominent environmental group has ranked the best and worst transportation projects in the country for the health of the U.S. environment. 

The list, from the San Francisco-based Sierra Club, is part of the the environmental group's effort to move America "beyond oil."

With that goal in mind, the Sierra Club's "good" project lists includes public transportation like the expansion of Washington, D.C.'s Metrorail subway expansion to Dulles Airport and commuter railways like Orlando, Fla.'s proposed SunRail system. Both railways are currently under construction and scheduled to begin operations in the next few years.