Mini Exasperation #1 (Redux)
I could go back and count what number we're on, but let's do a fresh start. RAISE the (r)oof!
I’d like to start posting weekly again in 2025. I think that’s why you’re here. So, let’s recap how I’ll do a weekly post, likely between Wednesday and Friday. I’ll try to post it in the morning so you can read it with your coffee or during your commute.
📝A short (<500 words) thought of the week. This will likely be a reaction to some story, an attempt to pull some words out of my head about something I noticed that week, a guest spot—something. But it will be editorial in nature.
✏ One to five news articles or other essays summarized and annotated and contextualized.
💭 A recommendation of another newsletter or person of interest to follow.
Federal Discretionary Grants Are Good And Worth Talking About Forever
We’re as disjointed as ever in how we’re talking about our national infrastructure. Last week, Secretary Buttigieg announced and released over $5 billion in discretionary grant awards across seven different programs. These competitive, limited grants will add federal funding to local and state dollars for over 560 projects across all 50 states, DC, and US territories. This announcement is a big deal. The flow of money from federal coffers to states and other non-Federal sources at this magnitude, is a big deal. Secretary Mayor Buttigieg’s last big act as leader of our transportation department is a big deal; it will leave a legacy.
I’m having trouble finding easy access to details about many of these projects. (Edit: I found RAISE project sheets.) But these RAISE grants are only a few dozen of the transformative projects that are sure to make a big splash for millions of people once planned and built announced in this omnibus press release. I’d like to see project details more front and centered on USDOT’s front page. I’d like our agencies to communicate the benefits of these projects more clearly and more often.
Local reporting can be a strong voice to help explain what it is we’re doing here. For example:
This paper reported, excitedly, on a project and an influx of cash that Niland likely doesn’t often get. Niland, CA is a <1,000 person, census-designated place (think: unincorporated population. It may act like a town but is often funded and operated by a county, like in this example) and now has the opportunity to spend $1.5 million on serious upgrades to its built environment. Each person who lives in Niland—or who passes through—will benefit from slower traffic and a “complete” street. This project will save lives and stir economic opportunity. It will do a lot of these things for a relatively low cost. This is a good project and we should fund 25,000 other ones just like it.
I’m hopeful that the other projects get a similar bump—the public deserves to know how their money is ostensibly being spent. I’m also hopeful that this isn’t the last article written about this project. Here’s hoping our press learns how to engage with the built environment and reports on it ‘til it’s done.

Some News Articles That Tickled Me This Week
Cincinnati's abandoned subway system and the ideas on what to do with it | Photos
This article is light on criticism but it’s fun to look at and it’s fun to imagine what to do with abandoned, unloved, underused, or otherwise carved-out infrastructure that’s not used for its original purpose. That’s what this article does and its photojournalism angle is effective because it shows not tells. There are a lot of ideas here.
Exasperation: No real criticism here but a few thoughts. It’s really rare that we get a chance to explore options like this; if a Subway isn’t viable—what is? And what do Cincinnatans want? This is going to be a really tough question to answer because, while compromise is essential for design, there can only be one real use for the space that effectively solves a problem (as to be identified during the design process).
Trump's Cabinet pick for secretary of transportation is Sean Duffy. Here's what to know.
This NPR article faithfully reports on likely-Secretary Sean Duffy for the Department of Transportation. He was pretty thorough in answering bipartisan concerns about continuances of funding, commitments to safety, and—though he’d voted against Amtrak funding as a Congressman—not dumping Amtrak from the funding stream.
Exasperation: Let’s see if his words match his actions, but Rep. Duffy feels like a pretty anodyne choice for Secretary. His lack of direct transportation experience may be an asset or may be a burden, depending on how he organizes the department to meet the very real and pressing concerns. I’m hoping safety remains as a top priority; I’m hoping our leaders can find a way to rebrand “environment” and “equity” as “economic development” and keep on keeping on. I’m hoping there’s a bipartisan and concerted approach to cutting red tape; I’m hoping that he realizes that bad process is his enemy, and not some “woke” agenda.
Chicago Agency Pitches $1.5 Billion Plan to Fix Transit Woes
There’s a massive funding shortfall between how much Chicago’s transit agency needs to spend and how much money it has to spend to run a meaningful service. The RTA—the Regional Transit Authority—that oversees three of Chicago area’s services has asked for a lot of local and state cash to help fill this gap. The Authority is also considering a fare increase to help bridge this gap.
Exasperation: This is the doozy of all doozies: to give RTA more funding or bleed it out; these are the two options often presented to create some scarcity narrative. This works to embolden anti-transit advocates (“It’s too expensive!” “It can’t pay for itself!” “Why should I pay for a service I don’t use!”) and put transit boosters into a frenzy (“The system will implode without this cash infusion!” “We’re in a death spiral!” “The system’s not supposed to pay for itself—it costs money to run a public service!”). It’s not that these ideas are simply orthogonal—they exist at right angles to each other—it’s that the two “teams” aren’t playing the same game.
One fights for sustainable funding and economic opportunity and a shared vision for the future; the other doesn’t acknowledge the fight at all. Transit is simply a disease to be sliced from our public discourse.
But imagine Western Avenue with no BRT?
Miscellany
💡Tara Grescoe’s new tack toward high-speed rail reporting. I’ve been a big fan since “Straphanger” (The Book). Subscribe here.
💡Andrew Hawkins is fast to the story about the two brothers tracking congestion pricing. Here.
💡Just a reminder the MTA has a fun Data & Analytics blog that’s updated semi-regularly. It puts a friendly face on the organization’s quasi-black box. I check it when I see it on LinkedIn, or when I’m crafting a very fun post for you on this very newsletter.