New York State County Highway Superintendents Association News & Views
 
Tuesday, November 21, 2017

 

NYS Transit Industry News

CDTA Rolls Out Veterans’ Initiative to Honor Local Heroes

The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) announced today at its annual Veteran appreciation event, a new initiative that will allow all honorably discharged service members the opportunity to qualify for half-fare pricing on all CDTA services.

“We are proud to offer this new benefit to our country’s service members,” said David M. Stackrow, CDTA Board Chairman. “Half-fare on all CDTA buses will offer a real-world solution for more mobility to fit their active lifestyle and connect them to work, shopping, and entertainment in our region. It is also CDTA’s way of saying Thank You to the men and women who have served our country.”

 

New Medical Campus Employees Offered Free Transit Passes

BNMC Inc. is offering a free monthly transit pass during November, December or January to new employees on the campus or those that drive to work alone and want to try public transit to get to work on the campus. A newly redone Allen Medical Metro Rail station is open, with a stop inside the new University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Main and Allen streets.

BNMC Inc., which oversees services on the campus, has long promoted that campus employees take public transit, ride bicycles or carpool to work. More than 17,000 people are projected to work on the campus in the years ahead.

 

State Government Affairs

Governor Cuomo Announces Completion of Access 390 Project in Rochester

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo last week announced the $70 million Access 390 Interchange 16 project is complete. The investment supported a series of five projects aimed to modernize the interchanges of Interstate 390 at Route 15 and 15A in the town of Brighton, Monroe County, and improve travel between the interstate and busy adjacent roadways, including Kendrick, East River, West Henrietta and East Henrietta roads.

"To ensure safe travel for all motorists, New York continues to invest in infrastructure upgrades across the state to rebuild roads and bridges better than ever before," Governor Cuomo said. "By improving Rochester's highway system, New York is better connecting residents with businesses, easing commutes for travelers, and making it safer and easier for everyone to get to where they want to go."

The project complements "Finger Lakes Forward," the region's comprehensive blueprint to generate economic growth and community development by transforming the I-390 system to improve safety, and support mobility and commerce.

 

 

Federal Developments

White House, Congress Have Begun Crafting
Infrastructure Bill

The White House and members of Congress have begun crafting President Trump’s long-awaited infrastructure package, according to a top House Republican.

The Trump administration has been trading paper with lawmakers in recent days about ideas for the rebuilding effort, though the process is still in the early stages, Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) told The Hill.

“We’re just now starting to work with the White House. They’re giving us their feedback, so we’re starting to see some feedback, ideas, things like that,” said Graves, the chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee on highways and transit.

 

Around the Country

Mobility Fees Encourage Transit-Oriented Development, Control Sprawl

A number of county and municipal governments in the state of Florida and throughout the nation, including Hillsborough County, Jacksonville, Sarasota County, Orlando, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, and Boulder, Colorado, have moved in the direction of establishing mobility fees to fund multiple modes of transportation.

Just last year, the Florida Department of Transportation issued a comprehensive guidebook on how to use mobility fees to fund transit improvements.

Seattle Businesses Buy Into the Vision of a
Transit-Driven Economy

Because fewer than 30 percent of work commutes are made by people driving alone, Seattle has become a magnet for business.

It’s home to the national headquarters for Amazon, Starbucks, and Nordstrom, to name just a few.

Jonathan Hopkins, executive director of Commute Seattle – which is funded jointly by King County Metro, the Seattle DOT, and Sound Transit – contrasted the $300,000 spent annually in Seattle for Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) with the “recent experience in Houston” of appropriating $7 billion for 23 new lanes of traffic. Without effective transit management, cities are sent on an endless spiral of new spending and traffic.

 

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