Margaret J. Krauss

Sensors and lights are seen at the west bound toll gate of the Pennsylvania Turnpike

Politics & Policy

Paying for Pennsylvania’s bridge repairs with new tolls remains divisive

PennDOT plans to hire a team of private companies to design, build, and manage the bridges for 25 to 30 years.

3 years ago

A self driving car in Pittsburgh. (Megan Harris/ 90.5 WESA)

Keystone Crossroads

Politics & Policy

PennDOT announces new regulations for testing self-driving vehicles

Pennsylvania will remain an integral player in the development of self-driving vehicles, but ensuring that the roads are safe must be the ...

7 years ago

A towboat pushes barges on the Monongahela river past the skyline of downtown Pittsburgh, March 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Keystone Crossroads

Politics & Policy

Congress’ $1.3 trillion spending bill could mean good things for Pennsylvania waterways

Last week’s 2,200-page omnibus congressional spending bill nearly doubled funding for construction work led by the U.S. Army Corps of E ...

7 years ago

A rendering of an Accelerated Bridge Construction project, as illustrated by the Michigan Department of Transportation. Two bridges along the Pennsylvania Turnpike were recently built with ABC techniques. PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE/MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Keystone Crossroads

Politics & Policy

The Florida Bridge Collapse Made Us Wonder: What Is Accelerated Bridge Construction?

Last week, a partially-constructed pedestrian bridge collapsed in Miami, Florida, killing six people and sending more to the hospital. Th ...

7 years ago

After more than a decade spent in a state financial oversight program, Pittsburgh regained its fiscal independence last month. More than a dozen Pennsylvania cities remain in the program.

Keystone Crossroads

Politics & Policy

In leaving state oversight, Pittsburgh says it’s prepared for the risk

On a Monday morning last month people packed the Pittsburgh mayor’s conference room to witness the city’s successful transition to fi ...

7 years ago

Keystone Crossroads

Community

Pittsburgh sheds distressed city status as fiscal health improves

On Monday, Pittsburgh became the second city to exit Act 47, the state’s oversight program for financia ...

7 years ago

Johnstown is a city of 19,000 residents situated at the confluence of two rivers and surrounded by hills. (Margaret J. Krauss/WESA)

Keystone Crossroads

Urban Planning

For cash-strapped Johnstown, sewer system overhaul comes with hefty costs

Johnstown is not an outlier when it comes to these problems, though its situation may be more severe.

7 years ago

A crew works to repair a 20-inch water main break in Pittsburgh on Monday, Dec. 18. (Liz Reid/WESA)

Keystone Crossroads

Urban Planning

‘Flush and boil’ advisory in Pittsburgh speaks to statewide infrastructure need

Many cities across Pennsylvania are struggling with outdated infrastructure, especially their water and s ...

7 years ago

What declaring the opioid crisis a national emergency means for Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania could see more resources to combat the opioid crisis if President Donald Trump heeds a federal commission, which advised him ...

7 years ago

What declaring the opioid crisis a national emergency means for Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania could see more resources to combat the opioid crisis if President Donald Trump heeds a federal commission, which advised him ...

7 years ago

Keystone Crossroads

In Pennsylvania, cities struggle to provide safe, clean drinking water

More than 30 percent of the state’s water systems aren’t as resilient as they need to be. At either end of Lavarna Way, ...

7 years ago

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Keystone Crossroads

A tale of two cities’ wooden streets

Separated by 303 miles and a layer of asphalt, two of the nation’s last wooden streets have had very different journeys. ...

7 years ago

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Margaret J. Krauss

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