Beyond Bridges

Even though statewide funding for the construction of trails has been celebrated throughout Indiana recently, funding for the routine maintenance of those trails is notoriously hard to come by.

This “data bike” -- the first of its kind in Indiana -- helps local communities use GIS maps and images to manage trails more efficiently, and hopefully unlock new sources of funding for trail upkeep.

Consumer concerns over range anxiety – the fear of being stranded on a long-distance road trip because charging stations aren’t (yet) as ubiquitous as gas stations – are being met by multiple infrastructure investments, both public and private.

“A lot of the infrastructure that Americans live with today was built in ways that did not show any regard for the concerns of the communities that were impacted,” acknowledges U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.

With the benefit of hindsight, are Americans poised today to do infrastructure differently?