Transportation
Disability readily approved by Railroad Retirement Board
A investigation by Walt Bogdanich and Nicholas Phillips of The New York Times found that the federal Railroad Retirement Board has not held a formal meeting in over two years. The board oversees the retirement and disability benefits for railroad workers. “Operating out of public view, with little scrutiny from Congress and even from its…
Read MoreRenegade Riders
All-terrain vehicles are rolling by the thousands into the Minnesota woods, offering motorized thrills but also causing long-term damage to public wildlands, the Star Tribune revealed in a multimedia investigative report. As the state Department of Natural Resources struggles to curb destructive off-trail riding, the agency is also mapping an immense trail network for ATVs…
Read MoreWarning lights, gates could curb Oklahoma train accidents
According to a report by Gavin Off of the Tulsa World, Federal Railroad Administration data shows Oklahoma has recorded 1,042 train accidents from 2000 to 2007. About half involved collisions with vehicles, and most of those took place at crossings without gates or flashing lights.
Read MoreBillions needed to repair deficient bridges in U.S.
Marisol Bello of USA TODAY reported that billions of dollars will be needed to repair deficient bridges throughout the U.S. Twelve percent of the bridges throughout the U.S. currently rate as deficient. “It would cost $9.4 billion a year for 20 years to eliminate all bridge deficiencies in the USA, according to the latest estimate,…
Read MoreTaken for a ride
An investigation by reporter Larry Lebowitz of The Miami Herald shows that local taxpayers were promised massive improvements to the county’s mass transit system when they approved a sales tax six years ago, yet those promises have not been fulfilled. Local leaders have already spent half the money on routine maintenance, 1,000 new jobs, and…
Read More“Dangerous Drivers”
Kevin Wack of the Portland Press Herald investigated the impact that drivers with suspended licenses are having on Maine roads. His series explores the dangers they pose and how efforts to address the problem are falling short. “The newspaper analyzed records from about 160,000 motor-vehicle crashes that occurred from 2003 to 2006 using a statewide…
Read MoreOver 17,000 bridges nationwide are overdue for inspection
An investigation by MSNBC.com’s Bill Dedman shows that at least 17,000 bridges went more than two years between inspections, despite the federal law requiring an inspection every 24 months. The investigation was based on newly released data from the Federal Bridge Inventory which includes inspections through 2006. “Although Congress in 1971 ordered rigorous standards for…
Read MoreFatalities greatest on San Joaquin Valley’s rural roads
Brad Branan of The Fresno Bee looked at federal highway safety data to find that the majority of fatal accidents in the San Joaquin Valley occur on rural roads. “These roads are riskier than city roads, in part because motorists travel them at higher speeds. But the central San Joaquin Valley faces additional problems, including…
Read MoreOne-third of S. Florida gas pumps inaccurate
A report by Mc Nelly Torres of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel shows that 34 percent of gas pumps in South Florida failed accuracy tests over the past three years. “The analysis found 580 of more than 2,500 stations in South Florida had at least one pump dispensing more gas than customers paid to purchase, while…
Read MoreRailroads of Neglect
A Blue Line train bounced off its track and derailed in a fire that sent 1,000 passengers running for their lives in July 2006. Jon Hilkevitch and Monique Garcia of the Chicago Tribune read thousands of pages of investigative files and transcribed interviews of Chicago Transit Authority workers after the accident. Their story describes the…
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