Hey, remember just just over a month ago when the Colonial fuel pipeline shut down, cutting gas supplies to the Southeast and leading to shortages at gas stations? The same pipeline, which is the nation’s biggest and brings gasoline from Houston to New Jersey with many stops along the way, will be shut down again after a fire that killed one worker and hospitalized five. [More]
infrastructure
71 Drivers Cross A Defective Bridge In Chicago Every Second
By 10.20.11
A new study says that 71 drivers in Chicago cross a structurally defective bridge every second. [More]
Metal Theft Follows In Irene's Wake
By 10.4.11
As Tropical Storm Irene has receded, thieves have followed in its wake, and they’re hungry for metal. Several Vermont towns have been hit by metal thieves seeking to take advantage of the disarray as people try to clean up and get their lives back together. [More]
Brass Thieves Stripping Chicago Fire Hydrants
By 9.26.11
Underneath the cap on many fire hydrants is a brass ring called the “port ring.” Firemen need it to connect fire hoses to the hydrants. But metal thieves in Chicago are popping open hydrants, prying off the ring, and selling it to scrap buyers for $15 a pop. If another cow kicks over a lantern there, having a city full of stripped fire hydrants could be deadly. [More]
Copper Thieves Disable 40 Blocks Of Street Lights, Leading To Near-Fatal Car Crash
By 9.9.11
Miami police are placing partial blame for a car crash that threw a woman through a windshield on a recent spree of people stealing copper from street lights. In the neighborhood, there are 40 straight blocks where all the street lights are dark because of copper thieves. [More]
How Much Street Space: Car vs Bus vs Bicycle
By 6.29.10
This poster, said to be from Munich’s transportation department, shows how much street space it takes to transport the same amount of people via car, bus, and bicycle. It seems that if you choose buses or bicycles there’s more room for lederhosen parades. [More]
