Mississippi River Basin Gets A Grade Of D+
A group that measures river basin health cited the poor condition of infrastructure such as locks and dams, among other things, on what it says is the world's fourth-largest watershed.
Transportation
Why Nonstop Travel In Personal Pods Has Yet To Take Off
Personal rapid transit was supposed to be the future of public transport: lightweight pods on elevated tracks, on-demand destinations. But funding issues make cities reluctant to change course.
Beam Me Up? Teleporting Is Real, Even If Trekkie Transport Isn't
Teleporting from one place to the next looks so fun on the big and little screen. But physicists who actually can do something like that with single atoms say teleporting people would be much messier.
Think America's Roads Are Crumbling? Not Quite
A common talking point in the Highway Trust Fund fight is that roads are crumbling. So it may surprise you to know that the country's roads and bridges actually have been looking better lately.
Gov. McCrory Reaches Out For Support On Borrowing $3 Billion
With Republican lawmakers looking elsewhere for money for roads and infrastructure, North Carolina Gov.
Red Tape Slows Control System That Could Have Saved Speeding Train
Investigators say the control network would have prevented this week's crash, and Amtrak vows to have it implemented by the 2016 deadline. But technical and bureaucratic hurdles are holding others up.
U.S., Canada Announce New Safety Standards For Oil Trains
Safety advocates say the regulations — which require a sturdier tank car design and a new brake system, among other changes — don't do enough to protect people who live near railways from derailments.
Failing Bridges Taking A Toll; Some States Move To Raise Gas Tax
With gas prices down, a growing number of states are turning to a gas tax increase. New Jersey looks at following suit to fund much-needed projects, but some drivers aren't eager to pay up.
High In The Andes, Bolivia's Gondolas In The Sky Ease Congestion
One of Latin America's poorest countries is building the world's longest urban cable car system. The aim is to transform the lives of commuters who battle chronic traffic problems.