NATIONAL NEWS

WSJ: Fix the Bridges But Don't Forget Broadband
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704804204575069102256344456.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
The Federal Communication Commission recently released a report illustrating the importance to America's competitiveness of a modern broadband communications infrastructure. In an economic environment where there is urgent focus on generating jobs, this report hasn't received enough attention.  Without pervasive broadband, our country will not be prepared for a new world that is increasingly built on the fusion of the physical and the digital. Yet today the United States, the country that developed the Internet, ranks 12th in broadband penetration and 15th in average broadband speed.

DC Streetsblog: 17 Democrats Urge Reid: Don’t Forget Infrastructure in Your Jobs Push
http://dc.streetsblog.org/2010/02/18/17-democrats-urge-reid-dont-forget-infrastructure-in-your-job-creation-push/
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) plans to call up a job creation bill on Monday that includes a stopgap rescue of the highway trust fund but none of the new infrastructure spending okayed by the House. Even that pared-down measure faces a GOP filibuster threat, but many Democrats remain undaunted in their push for more federal aid.  In a letter sent this afternoon, 17 Democratic senators urged Reid "to make transportation infrastructure investment a top priority in any jobs package debated in the coming weeks."

Grand Forks Herald: Oberstar: Federal stimulus funds created jobs, but there’s more to do
http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/151656/
Federal stimulus money dedicated to roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure last year resulted in hundreds of construction projects that put 8,500 Minnesotans back to work, said U.S. Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn.  But he said there’s much more to be done.

Press Release: America's High-Speed Rail Aspirations Remain Strong
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/americas-high-speed-rail-aspirations-remain-strong-84705567.html
New America THINKS survey results from HNTB Corporation illustrate transit and passenger rail remain top of mind after the Obama administration's $8 billion high-speed rail grant announcement last month.  Nearly nine in ten (88 percent) Americans are currently open to high-speed rail travel for long-distance travel within the United States. While this is a strong majority, that support is down slightly from the 94 percent America THINKS recorded in March 2009.

STATE NEWS

Infrastructurist: How Do Americans Get to Work? Transit Patterns in Major Cities
http://www.infrastructurist.com/2010/02/18/how-do-americans-get-to-work-transit-patterns-in-major-cities/
Every year, millions of Americans spend more than 100 hours commuting to and from work — more time than the full duration of a two-week vacation. So how are all these people, the bulk of them in urban areas, getting to the office? Artist Martha Kang McGill illustrates the commuting habits of eight major U.S. cities, illustrating just who is driving, walking, biking, or taking mass transit. All stats are based on the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey.