Midweek Takes #30.1

Bringing the Momentum back to Reconnecting our Communities.

Ok back to normal weekly posts. Maybe. Thanks for your patience and support!

Momentum

Originally, I had written a missive criticizing USDOT’s newest exchange program, Momentum, as a manifestation of hubris and distracting effort. Upon reflection, I don't think this type of criticism is was particularly helpful, so I’ve decided to rewrite it with a more neutral tone. I’m less exasperated about this program; it’s a little goofy that USDOT is pushing expertise internationally when there’s still so much work to be done at home. Even for projects based in the Global South, we have to fix our own laundry before we air it out for the rest of the world to smell.¹

It’s a good effort in the face of decades of underinvestment and mismanagement to try to share what we know about what we do well here in the United States: technical, large-scale, intricate, multi-year type projects. In the right context, I’m sure we might be able to help Kenya or Mongolia build a bridge. As the stale Washington refra…