urbanSTL

Thanks for posting everyone.   Believe PD posted story noting that additional state funds brings total up to $60 million from $54 million.

Looking at the map that Sc4mayor posted just reaffirms my thought that the city would have a big win if they would commit a good chunk of the Ram's settlement funds and pursue the removal of raised section of freeway between Wash Ave and Cass Ave with a blvd, incorporate 

Put in orange lines on Sc4mayor map for improvements dollars for extending Tucker & 7th street cycle tracks north to Cass, extend Cass Ave improvements east to a new at grade intersection w new blvd, replace raised freeway south w new blvd to new at grade intersection w Wash Ave/Eads bridge.  Would be another $75 to $100 million improvement is my guess but also fits current POTUS admin plans for Fed transportation grants/infrastructure.   Committing part of the Ram's settlement funds now would go a long long way securing Feds matching funds for near northside/north riverfront improvements and accessability.  

Wish they wouldn't invest, would rather have the interstates torn down. 

Wow - I had to drive into STL from Chicago for meetings this week. Waze took me to the meetings using I-70. Wowsers! The Highway looks rugged, and like fine art is starting to look like Post Apocalyptic America or Escape from New York. Even the Stan Span looks terrible now. The rebuild can't be more than 15 years; however, the Highway is showing its' age, especially on the overpasses where the fake bricks were installed. Hopefully, this is being addressed soon by the state?

Interesting note involving St. Louis here from theautopian.com:

Rivian Starts EV Van Deliveries

Photo credit: David Tracy

Hey, remember the electric delivery van Rivian was developing for Amazon? Well despite production delays for Rivian’s R1T pickup truck and R1S SUV, the van has finally made it out on the streets. Automotive News reports that Amazon can now put Rivian-built delivery vans into service across America, so there’s a chance your next overnight shipment of googly eyes might arrive in an EV.

“In 2019, Rivian and Amazon committed to fast-tracking a new type of delivery vehicle that would result in a significant reduction of carbon emissions,” Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said in a joint statement by the companies. “That vision is now being realized.”

Expect to see these electric delivery vans hitting the streets in Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City, Nashville, Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle, and St. Louis, with more cities to be added later.

Good to see STL as one of the pilot cities to roll these delivery vans out.  Honestly the vans themselves are pretty fascinating - they're modular. See those lines that run up the side of the van? Those are sections that can be added or removed (at the time of assembly, anyway) to make the van longer or shorter depending on the volume needed.

I know, Amazon is an all-consuming monopolistic colossus of a company, and these vans are still cars. But for last-mile deliveries where vehicles are the only viable option today, these are much preferable to gas or diesel trucks. I'm interested to see them out and about.

-RBB

rbb wrote: ↑

Jul 22, 2022

Interesting note involving St. Louis here from theautopian.com:

Rivian Starts EV Van Deliveries

Photo credit: David Tracy

Hey, remember the electric delivery van Rivian was developing for Amazon? Well despite production delays for Rivian’s R1T pickup truck and R1S SUV, the van has finally made it out on the streets. Automotive News reports that Amazon can now put Rivian-built delivery vans into service across America, so there’s a chance your next overnight shipment of googly eyes might arrive in an EV.

“In 2019, Rivian and Amazon committed to fast-tracking a new type of delivery vehicle that would result in a significant reduction of carbon emissions,” Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said in a joint statement by the companies. “That vision is now being realized.”

Expect to see these electric delivery vans hitting the streets in Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City, Nashville, Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle, and St. Louis, with more cities to be added later.

Good to see STL as one of the pilot cities to roll these delivery vans out.  Honestly the vans themselves are pretty fascinating - they're modular. See those lines that run up the side of the van? Those are sections that can be added or removed (at the time of assembly, anyway) to make the van longer or shorter depending on the volume needed.

I know, Amazon is an all-consuming monopolistic colossus of a company, and these vans are still cars. But for last-mile deliveries where vehicles are the only viable option today, these are much preferable to gas or diesel trucks. I'm interested to see them out and about.

-RBB

I'll add that in addition to being electric, I'm happy to see that they're vans rather than trucks. Both of these factors are friendlier for the pedestrians and others using the streets alongside these vehicles.

Thanks for posting.   I assume they are coming out of Normal IL.  

too bad POTUS couldn't get Congress & USPS to buy into more EVs on their fleet replacement plan.   Last mile delivery seems as ideal as you can get for EV fleets and a big win in a lot different ways

Could the US highways that split communities on racial lines finally fall?
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jul/29/could-the-us-highways-that-split-communities-on-racial-lines-finally-fall

In other federal programming news, Biden Administration Announces New PROTECT Formula Program, $7.3 Billion from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to Help Communities Build Resilient Infrastructure. Missouri will get $180M over 5 years

Does STL have any qualified projects? Maybe a section of critical transit infrastructure underwater? Any ideas?

https://highways.dot.gov/newsroom/biden ... bipartisan


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It seems that the region's was on a roll with Federal grants until the latest RAISE announcement of $2.2. billion in grants for which they were split 50/50 between urban and rural.   KC picked up a grant to study a transport corridor along with city of Excelsior Springs picking up a rural grant to make intersection, pedestrian and trail improvements.   

An indirect benefit is a RAISE Grant went to a Springfield grade separation project.   The more grade separation the better it will be for Amtrak Lincoln & Texas Eagle service between St. Louis and Chicago.  

https://fox4kc.com/news/grant-to-study- ... ependence/

https://1027kearneymo.com/kpgz-news/202 ... aise-grant

https://rodneydavis.house.gov/posts/dav ... il-project

Trololzilla wrote: ↑

Nov 22, 2022

Railroad strike possible in approximately two weeks unless negotiations progress with the holdouts:

https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/21/business ... index.html

Congress forcing workers to accept the employers' terms seems more likely than a strike.

Can Congress actually do that? Railroad workers aren't government employees, although I guess they're considered essential workers. Seems downright un-American.

framer wrote: ↑

Nov 22, 2022

Can Congress actually do that? Railroad workers aren't government employees, although I guess they're considered essential workers. Seems downright un-American.

i cant remember if its congress or Dept of Labor Secretary or the President but one of the 3 definitely can 

I think expecting congress to do anything in that short a time period is massively overestimating their ability to be responsive

framer wrote: ↑

Nov 22, 2022

Can Congress actually do that? Railroad workers aren't government employees, although I guess they're considered essential workers. Seems downright un-American.

Congress has that power under the Railway Labor Act.

Also, exploiting workers is extremely fundamentally American. Arguably the country's defining characteristic.

MarkHaversham wrote: ↑

Nov 22, 2022

_nomad_ wrote: ↑

Nov 22, 2022

I think expecting congress to do anything in that short a time period is massively overestimating their ability to be responsive

When it comes to protecting corporate profits Congress can be extremely efficient. Gay Marriage or Abortion Rights takes fifty years of debate but they'll block the strike on a unanimous voice vote at 2am if they have to.

I'm sure you can point me to some sort of precedent to back that up. I can't see congress doing anything concerning the railroad crisis in the next couple weeks (or before the new congress is seated for that matter) besides maybe talking about it in committee.

gone corporate wrote: ↑

Nov 23, 2022

Railroad strike is not currently priced into the stock market, i.e. Wall Street thinks it won't happen. 

Perspective on the implications of a strike is important here... A strike would start off costing the US economy $2BB/day. We'd see the energy, automotive, chemical, and consumer goods sectors & industries spiral out, and right as the Holidays are beginning. A long-term strike would take out Fourth Quarter GDP. I'm in favor of good contracts for the SMART-TD, the BLET, and the BMEWD, but I don't want to see 50K workers take out the US economy and get 10-25x as many other workers to lose their jobs directly because of their actions. Truly, it's the 36,000 members of SMART-TD that're against the updated contract; BLET and BMEWD voted in favor of the new agreement, they're just standing with SMART-TD today out of solidarity with other organized labor. All this is why the Congress has emergency powers, so the country can't be held economic hostage to a small but powerfully influential minority. 

MarkHaversham wrote: ... exploiting workers is extremely fundamentally American. Arguably the country's defining characteristic.

Funny that, on Thanksgiving Eve, our country's "sarcastic" defining characteristic is exploiting workers. 
I thought it would have been killing the American Indians. Smallpox is one hell of a legacy. 

Happy Turkey Day, y'all!

Rail workers don't make that much money; they shouldn't impoverish themselves and take bad deals out of some misbegotten solidarity with other workers who aren't willing to unionize. That's absurd. Workers are paid poorly because of Capital, not other workers. If other workers feel they are underappreciated, they should look to unions like SMART-TD as role models rather than as the enemy. Given the increase in retail unionization nationwide, I'd say many of them are doing just that. Let's be clear that the powerful influential minority holding the economy hostage here is not SMART-TD, it's Capital.

It's fair to say that indigenous Americans aren't exactly "workers", but they were still exploited and mistreated. And while they're still mistreated, I guess it feels less fundamental to the country's operation in the last century or so.

^Nope, this is anti-union, you can have your opinion but don't try to pretend you're just a balanced neutral observer while spouting off bullet point after bullet point in favor of the rail carriers' position. It would be easy for rail carriers to grant their employees paid sick days at the very least, and the rail workers are not a minority, they are part of a working class majority.