Browse Research and Commentary

[Ray Lahood] brought a different perspective to Washington. He is a straight shooter, and I think he took transportation from the back of the political discussion to more of the forefront.

April 30, 2013, Robert Puentes, National Public Radio

State and Local Leaders Double Down on Infrastructure

April 16, 2013, Robert Puentes

As a nation, we've got to figure out better, more long-term ways, more sustainable ways, to fund needed transportation projects without having to rely on this annual uncertainty which seems to be the norm instead of the exception now.

March 14, 2013, Robert Puentes, WAMU

Expand State Partnerships for Passenger Rail

March 13, 2013, Robert Puentes and Joseph Kane

15 years ago in this country, we thought that [telecommuting] was the death of distance and that it was just going to ruin cities and we didn't see that at all. We see that people really do benefit from face-to-face conversations. Face-to-face conversations are going to be critical for many, many metropolitan jobs. There are many jobs that will require you to be face-to-face. Telecommuting does have a role [but] it's not going to solve all of our problems.

March 10, 2013, Robert Puentes, WTOP Washington

New Partnerships for American Rail

March 1, 2013, Robert Puentes

[Amtrak is] too often considered a big, bloated bureaucracy that depends heavily on federal subsidies and is no longer relevant to the technologically oriented metropolitan economies of today.

March 1, 2013, Robert Puentes, CNN

The places we see Amtrak being competitive, running effective and efficient service, are in those places where the state already has some skin in the game. These are places where Amtrak is treated not as a big federal bureaucracy that's coming in but is actually part and parcel of the transportation plan.

March 1, 2013, Robert Puentes, USA Today

In order for metropolitan areas to compete, they have to be able to provide several different options for people in how they get around, for how business leaders are going to connect with other business leaders in different metropolitan areas and then how these regions are going to grow in the future. We are seeing continued congestion on the roadways, perhaps deterioration of the roadways in some cases, frustration with the airlines and looking at Amtrak as a potential alternative to some of the other modes.

March 1, 2013, Robert Puentes, Minnesota Public Radio

A New Alignment: Strengthening America's Commitment to Passenger Rail

March 1, 2013, Robert Puentes, Adie Tomer and Joseph Kane

The Innovative Metropolis: Fostering Economic Competitiveness through Sustainable Urban Design

February 21, 2013

• Video
• Transcript

The important shift seems to be the [Obama] administration is not waiting for the legislature, [but is] maximizing the things they can do themselves. [More private capital into infrastructure investment] is not going to solve all our infrastructure problems—we still have a long way to go. [However,] this will go a long way.

February 19, 2013, Robert Puentes, New York Times

We’re moving from transportation's late 20th century federalism model where the federal government provides resources that rain down unencumbered to the state and metropolitan level.

January 29, 2013, Robert Puentes, The Atlantic

[Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell's] proposal to get rid of the state gasoline tax is unprecedented, that’s for sure. It seems like it would take much longer [to get done] than the time he has left. There’s a lot to chew on.

January 8, 2013, Robert Puentes, Washington Post

Super Storm Sandy Recovery: The Case For Disaster Bonds

December 10, 2012, Robert Puentes and Patrick Sabol

Cut to Invest: Exempt Private Activity Bonds from the Alternative Minimum Tax

November 13, 2012, Robert Puentes and Joseph Kane

Strengthen Federalism: Establish a National PPP Unit to Support Bottom-Up Infrastructure Investment

November 13, 2012, Robert Puentes

Storm Barriers for New York City are Worth the Investment

November 1, 2012

The Big Infrastructure Question Posed by Sandy

October 31, 2012, Robert Puentes

Global Gateways: International Aviation in Metropolitan America

October 25, 2012

Global Gateways: International Aviation in Metropolitan America

October 25, 2012, Adie Tomer, Robert Puentes and Zachary Neal

Promoting Infrastructure Investment through Private Activity Bonds

October 25, 2012, Robert Puentes

Banking on Infrastructure: Enhancing State Revolving Funds for Transportation

September 12, 2012, Robert Puentes and Jennifer Thompson

[Riding the train from Tokyo to Nagoya is] astounding...You take one trip on [Japan’s high speed rail system] and you realize that other countries have made these kinds of seismic investments that are just lacking in the U.S.

September 6, 2012, Robert Puentes, Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane

People aren’t always just going downtown for their jobs during the rush hours. They are going in between suburbs, they are going at different times, they are going for different purposes, like school or jobs at night outside of rush hour. So transit agencies, in some cases, are finding themselves challenged to address those kinds of trips and to adapt to these rapidly changing trends.

September 2, 2012, Robert Puentes, Washington Post