Kate Hinds

As part of the station’s role as a watchdog of government transparency, WNYC has been following the $508 million renovation of the Brooklyn Bridge.  So when a database detailing exactly what New York City is spending went live this month, we took it for a test drive.

A new Federal Transit Administration study says that it would cost $77.7 billion to bring rail and transit systems into "a state of good repair." And then they would still need $14.4 billion for maintenance. Meanwhile, 80% of the nation's transit agencies are raising fares and cutting services. (Washington Post)

High speed rail in California: one reporter drives the proposed route from SF to LA in an attempt to figure out why big infrastructure projects keep turning into money-sucking boondoggles. (KALW)

PA Gov. Rendell may "flex" highway funds to bail out mass transit. (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

A new shuttle bus service in Kalaeloa, Hawaii, will service the homeless. (KGMB/KHNL)

Back to black: US Airways reports $279 million second quarter profit--breaking string of losses that dates back to 2007. (Arizona Republic)

Stick it or ticket: suburban Illinois towns are using new software to ferret out drivers who haven't purchased village vehicle stickers. (Chicago Tribune)

Chinese are gaga over G.M:  sales rise almost fifty percent over last year.  (New York Times)

Budget cuts in one Idaho school district mean school buses will have to travel 315,000 fewer miles. Bottom line: more kids will be walking. Five miles uphill, each way, in a blizzard. (Idaho Statesman)

In Boulder, where bicycle commuting is 18 times the national average, biking "verges on a religion." (The Denver Post)

Could saving the US auto industry cost less than originally thought? A Detroit Free Press analysis says that taxpayers could recoup $74 billion of the $86 billion the government spent on the bailout.

If the game goes into overtime, turn the dial: listening to sports on the car radio can be dangerous. (Kansas City Star)

The Takeaway wants to know: why do we still drink and drive?

The NYC MTA has to close a $400 million budget gap. One of the proposals on the table: pulling all funding from Long Island Bus, which would gut the system. (Newsday) Meanwhile, west of the border, the controversy over how the Pennsylvania State Transportation Committee should close their $500 million funding gap rages on. (WDUQ)

The New York State DOT warns: close the Sheridan, prepare for more traffic. (New York Daily News) but New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu says a highway teardown there could be a "game-changer" (in a good way).  (Times-Picayune.)

And the New York Times reviews one local museum's exhibition "Cars, Culture, and the City."

President Obama travels to Michigan today for the groundbreaking of a plant that will make batteries for electric cars (NPR). But don't apply for a job there just yet -- it should take about 18 months before it begins hiring. Which is faster than the impact of the stimulus on the new green economy.

For Vancouver residents, it often makes financial sense to go south of the border to catch a flight. Helllooo Bellingham! (Vancouver Sun)

The success of the High Line has other cities thinking about what to do with their abandoned rail lines. (New York Times)

New Jersey Transit's new budget okays the purchase of 100 new multilevel rail cars. (The Record)

Toyota admits that sticking accelerator pedals and interfering floor mats caused some of the sudden acceleration incidents, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has reached "no conclusions" in its own examination. (New York Times)

New York's MTA is planning to cut back on its bulk discount metro cards, which is especially bad news for passengers who buy monthly passes  (WNYC).  Meanwhile, above ground, the replacement span for the Willis Avenue Bridge is floating into New York Harbor and will be towed up the East River next month.

Up to 30 people were stranded on an Alaskan highway since it flooded this weekend. (Anchorage Daily News)

A California court judges puts a halt to a suicide barrier on a  Santa Ynez Valley bridge and orders the  state DOT to recirculate a portion of the environmental impact report.  Opponents of the barrier say it will obstruct views -- and won't prevent suicides.  (Santa Barbara Daily Sound)

The Florida DOT says its state safety program helped reduce motorcycle fatalities in that state by almost 25% after a decade of increases.  (Sun Sentinel)

How is the Maryland Transportation Authority compensating passengers stranded on last month's "hell train?"  With free...train passes.   But if you're a monthly pass holder, you can't take full advantage of the offer.  (Baltimore Sun)

Early tests seem to suggest that the Toyotas cited for sudden acceleration may have done so because the drivers hit the gas pedal instead of the brake.  (Wall Street Journal)

Will they unpave paradise and put up a park?  Plans to remove the Bronx's Sheridan Expressway gain momentum.  (New York Times)

American Airlines wants to coordinate its trans-Atlantic flights with two European carriers.   The plan has been approved by U.S. regulators; Europeans are mulling it over.  (Marketplace)

Denied: Naples, Florida, won't officially become a bicycle-friendly city until it meets several recommendations.  (Naples Daily News)

Big changes in Connecticut:  Starting August 1, the state may no longer require motor vehicle registration stickers.  Meanwhile, ice cream trucks -- banned from Stratford's streets for decades--return tomorrow, introducing a new generation of children to "the thrill of music that builds to a crescendo as the truck rolls closer, a sign that the ice cream man is coming and cold brown-and-white chocolate Mickey Mouse ears on a stick will soon be in hand."  (Connecticut Post)

A federally-funded study encourages Chicago to embrace congestion pricing.  (Chicago Tribune)

Worldwide, tunneling projects usually cost more than a third over estimate.  This makes Seattle--which is spending over $1 billion for a highway viaduct tunnel -- nervous.  (Seattle Times)

What a difference a year makes: Ford CEO's success is apparently getting him noticed in DC. (Detroit Free Press)

Yuma County's public transportation gets a financial shot in the arm, but it's still on life support. Legislators cite tension between short-term viability, long-term sustainability. (Yuma Sun)

Chicago, Dallas expected to win big when Ray LaHood announces transit grants winners this morning. UPDATE: They did, as did Cincinnati's streetcar project. Complete list of grantees here.

Local transit agencies are providing more rides to more people -- but that number is outpaced by costs, especially in DC. (Washington Examiner)

Winnipeg says yes to light rail, no to BRT. (Winnipeg Free Press)

Disabled duck boat hits barge in the Delaware River; two passengers are missing. Regulations governing duck boats are characterized as "complex." (Philadelphia Inquirer)

North Charleston mayor gets his way: railroad tracks rerouted, neighborhood preserved...but it all hinges on "several potentially expensive" land acquisitions. (Post & Courier)

Skanska's working for the city.  Who's working for Skanska? (more)

New York Magazine says the city's transportation future is not below the streets, but on it.  All hail BRT!

High-speed rail in Florida: why does Orlando's airport get a station--and Tampa's doesn't?  (Tampa Tribune)

The kindest cut?  Some of the MARTA routes slated for elimination carry fewer than one person on a bus per mile.  (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Life in the  (post- Crown) Victorian era:  Ford's plan to cease production has local police departments making test drives.    Iowa City is leaning towards the Tahoe, California's Tulare County is eyeing the Charger, and Conway, South Carolina, has settled on the Chevrolet Malibu.

What building is the "connective piece for everything?"  One scholar says it's the... parking garage.  (Baltimore Sun)

How can libraries stay relevant in the 21st century?  Well, some are offering drive-thru service.  But does it come with two triple cheese, side order of fries? (Marketplace)

The Transport Politic says that even thought BART continues to be suburban-focused, at least it points the way towards serving a city center.

How will you be celebrating the start of the city’s new fiscal year? Perhaps the same way I did—by investigating “Checkbook NYC,” an online database that New York City Comptroller John Liu’s office officially launched today in beta form.

This is not, as you might expect from the name, an ...

Tesla's IPO takes off; the company is the first American automotive manufacturer to go public since Ford.  It's electric! (New York Times)

Paris mayor wants to close or slow some expressways on the Seine.   (New York Times)

Ice cream trucks grow up:  gourmet purveyors are on the rise on New York's streets.  Can I get a scoop of salted caramel, please?  (WNYC)

JFK's longest runway reopens; repaving cost $348 million and took four months.   Next on the airport's construction wish list: a satellite-based air traffic control system.   (Business Week)

Chicago takes tentative steps towards a bike sharing program  (Streetsblog).  Meanwhile, is there an upside to Detroit's population drain?  Wide open, empty streets are a "bicyclist's paradise."

Yellow light, shades of gray: new research decodes how drivers decide to speed up or slow down.  (Washington Post)

Virginia legislators to enjoy a "real commuting experience" today when they ride the Metro's Orange Line during rush hours  (WAMU).  Meanwhile, Alexandria raises the cost of its parking meters -- and considers eliminating free parking for the disabled.  New policy is called "All May Park, All Must Pay."

Nature--and New Yorkers--abhor a vacuum.  Today's Brian Lehrer Show talks about the private vans cropping up to replace subway and bus cuts.

One of the main reasons WNYC decided to monitor the renovation of the Brooklyn Bridge is that we thought following this $508-million project would provide a good test case for governm...

Guilty plea expected in JFK Airport bomb plot case (New York Times).

The Guardian asks:  If the BP oil spill causes Americans to reconsider driving, how will they do that when many states are slashing public transportation? (The Guardian)

Shuttering two subway lines wasn't enough: New York's MTA plans to sell $600 million in bonds to close $800 million spending gap. (Business Week)

And in Atlanta, the MARTA board votes to kill 40 bus lines, 29 station bathrooms, and shuttles to Braves games. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Kalamazoo ponders why bus ridership is down for the 5th consecutive month. (Grand Rapids Press)

Oh, if only: one Berlin subway station (helped by Volkswagen) offered its commuters a choice: walk down a flight of stairs -- or slide down. (The Infrastructurist, video)

Once hot, now not: the last Chrysler PT Cruiser will roll off the line in July. (Detroit Free Press)

Domestic planes are now prohibited from languishing on runways. So when a Virgin Atlantic flight recently sat for four hours on the tarmac--without working air conditioning--it wasn't breaking any rules. Legislation including foreign carriers is in the works. (New York Times)

A new advisory committee aims to help the Federal Transit Administration in developing national safety standards for rail. The movement to "federalize safety oversight of rail transit" was spurred by last year's DC Metro crash. (Washington Post)

But how much to tie up to the hitching post? Plans for free shuttles and parking at Kentucky's upcoming World Equestrian Games have been ditched. Now parking will be at least $20 a car--and could be as much as $100. (Lexington Herald-Leader)

A bike-pedestrian option for NH's Memorial Bridge is looking less likely; equally unlikely is the bridge's replacement with a bus transit system. What looks likely: car traffic. (Portsmouth Herald)

Goodbye, X13: Staten Islanders gird themselves for a commute with less express bus service and more confusion. (Staten Island Advance)

Paris tried bike sharing. Now, the city is aiming to start a similar program of a more four-wheeled kind. Bienvenue, electric car sharing! (New York Times)

First, they came for the FDR Drive: The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy's exhibition, Our Cities, Ourselves, opens today in New York. But will the Highline play in Guangzhou? (WNYC)

Denver passes new zoning rules; first overhaul since 1956  (Denver Post)

Judge blocks moratorium on deep water drilling; Obama administration to appeal (The Takeaway)

The Maryland Transit Administration apologizes to passengers stranded on sweltering train, opens probe (WAMU)

Massachusetts lawmakers agree to ban texting while driving (Boston Globe)

Jump-starting new technology: car companies form partnerships to deal with high costs of new energy technology (Detroit News)

The US Department of Transportation backs off from plan to ban peanuts on airlines; Georgia's peanut industry exhales (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

LA subway got 50% bump in ridership from Lakers parade yesterday.  (LA Daily News)

Mmmm! Only 50% of New York's subway cars are rated clean. Just so you know, "clean" means "light dirt." (WNYC)

Meanwhile, across the river, New Jersey's Transportation Trust Fund will run out of money in a year. (Star Ledger)

Arizona will reopen 5 rest areas shut during budget cuts. Drivers rejoice, begin ingesting fluids again. (Arizona Daily Star)

They didn't pave paradise: Forty years later, one MN wetland is still roadless. (Minnesota Public Radio)

Wilmington, NC, is experiencing a bicycle infrastructure boom. No mean feat during a recession. (Star News)

England to sell its first high-speed rail line to raise money. (BBC)

If you buy food from street vendors, you may have noticed a lot more food trucks on the streets. New York City Councilmember Jessica Lappin has -- and now she wants truck operators who get multiple parking tickets to lose their permits.

Lappin, who represents the ...

How do you translate "rumble strip?" Colorado nonprofit teaches English-language road skills to refugees. (Greeley Tribune)

Prepare for takeoff: Spirit Airlines, pilots reach agreement, flights to start tomorrow. (Miami Herald)

If you teach them, they will share the road: Boise police try education, not ticket writing, in an effort to make roads safer for cyclists. (Idaho Statesman)

Light rail versus bus rapid transit: it's a wedge issue in Maryland's gubernatorial race. (Baltimore Sun)

The 2010 census could cost Green Bay Metro roughly $1 million in federal funding . Which doesn't sound like a lot -- except the transit agency's total annual budget is $8 million. (Green Bay Press Gazette)

And how will you be celebrating the fifth annual "Dump the Pump" day? Advocates hope you'll do it on public transit.

Cast your mind back to when Oakland's Madison Square Park was a thriving neighborhood. And then BART came. (KALW)

Yes, you too can solve transportation problems: Slate asks its readers to help create Nimble Cities. (Slate)

Rats! Lower Manhattan subway lines are infested! (WNYC)

Hartford considers repealing skateboard ban -- and maybe even establishing an official skate park. (Hartford Courant)

President Obama, in his first use of the Oval Office to speak to the nation, calls for a new energy policy (New York Times). Meanwhile, new government estimates say BP's blown well in the Gulf of Mexico may be spitting out 60,000 barrels of oil every day. (NPR)

Upturn in the economy, downturn in supplies: road crews grapple with nationwide paint shortage. (WAMU)

Can't we all just get along?  "To say we all can't fit on the road together is ridiculous," says one recently ticketed Black Hawk bicyclist.  (Denver Post)

Rethinking Wichita: city unveils 20-year master plan, idea is to park once and be able to get from one end to the other on transit. (Wichita Eagle)

What's keeping the Cleveland transit authority solvent? Parking lots in suburban areas--and bus bicycle racks. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

You know what would improve your daily commute? A view. Bring on the gondolas! (Transport Politic)