Entries by Editorial Staff

Pioneer Institute Announces Winner of 29th Annual Better Government Competition

Pioneer Institute is pleased to announce that Los Angeles Country Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro)’s program, “Operation Farm Team: Global Transportation Infrastructure Workforce Initiative” is the winner of the 29th annual Better Government Competition. The theme of the 2019 contest was, “Moving People, Moving Goods, Moving Forward,” focusing on innovations that prepare America for the future of transportation.

WINNER: The LA Metro “Operation Farm Team”

OPERATION FARM TEAM Global Transportation Infrastructure Workforce Initiative by Phillip A. Washington PROBLEM STATEMENT Growing up in Altgeld Gardens, a public housing complex on the south side of Chicago, Phillip Washington, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro), saw people who did not look like him building infrastructure—transportation, utilities, streets […]

Runner Up: Alternative Contracting Methods for Highway Construction

ALTERNATIVE CONTRACTING METHOD PERFORMANCE IN U.S. HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION by Arthur L. C. Antoine, PhD, PE, Assoc. DBIA and Professor Keith Molenaar PROBLEM STATEMENT  There are three primary contracting methods for federally funded highways: design–bid– build (D-B-B)1 , design–build (D-B)2, and construction manager/general contractor (CM/GC)3. The vast majority of the U.S. highway system was built employing […]

Runner Up: I-93 North HOV Lane Compendium Summary Draft

BETTER MANAGING THE I-93 NORTHERN EXPRESSWAY HOV LANE  by Conrad Crawford PROBLEM STATEMENT  Greater Boston has the worst traffic congestion in the United States.1 The typical driver wastes more than $2,200 each year stuck in traffic. Traffic is holding back our economy and hurting our quality of life.2 According to recent polling from the MassINC […]

Runner Up: Bringing the Providence Line Into the 21st Century

BRINGING THE PROVIDENCE LINE IN TO THE 21ST CENTURY by Ari Ofsevit PROBLEM STATEMENT  Providence is only 40 miles from Boston, but at rush hour, driving between the cities can take up to two hours, and the rail line between them hosts outdated commuter trains that are slow at peak hours and infrequent the rest […]

Runner Up: Freight Demand Management

FREIGHT DEMAND MANAGEMENT Experiences, Research Results, and Potential to Help Address Climate Change and Foster Economic Productivity by Dr. José Holguín-Veras PROBLEM STATEMENT  The transportation sector consumes 27.8% of the total energy and 70% of the petroleum used in the United States; it produces 53% of the carbon monoxide, 31.3% of the nitrogen oxide, 24.2% […]

Special Recognition: North Station Seaport Ferry

NORTH STATION SEAPORT FERRY by Erin Anderson PROBLEM STATEMENT  The Seaport District has in the last two decades been one of Boston’s fastest growing neighborhoods. However, development has generated an acute need for more transportation. In the South Boston Waterfront Sustainable Transportation Plan (“the Plan”), released in 2015, access to the Seaport District from North […]

Special Recognition: Innovative Approaches to Improving Pedestrian Safety

INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO IMPROVING PEDESTRIAN SAFETY by Wendy Landman WALKBOSTON In 2018, 72 pedestrians were hit and killed in Massachusetts. In Boston alone, almost 700 pedestrians were injured as a result of traffic crashes. In addition to these alarming statistics, a robust body of research documents walking’s benefits for personal, economic, environmental, and civic health, […]