U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) Today, transportation generally and passenger rail in particular, lost a dear friend and valiant advocate with the passing of New Jersey U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg. Of the many trusted relationships I have formed through my work in transportation, my association with Sen. Lautenberg is one of the most highly valued. As the mayor of my hometown of Meridian, Miss., I worked closely with Sen. Trent Lott in the support of a national passenger rail network linking America's cities and towns, large and small. It was in the thick of that effort that I got to know Sen. Lautenberg and first realized the strength of that national system, which served both small town Mississippi and the rural South, and metropolitan New Jersey and the densely populated Northeast. It was my good fortune to work with two statesmen, one a conservative Republican from Mississippi, the other a liberal Democrat from New Jersey, who did not let party affiliation or geographic…

Reconnecting America, as a partner in Livability Solutions, has been selected to provide technical assistance to the Seattle Department of Planning & Development and Valley Metro in Phoenix as part of a grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Sustainable Communities under their Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Program.

Reconnecting America has completed an analysis of the economic and workforce development impacts of Denver's Southeast Rail Line and concluded that the 6-year-old light rail line has only supplemented what is already there, instead of acting as a driver of economic opportunity for residents of the region. This is the first in a series of reports by the Mile High Connects examining the opportunities and challenges of connecting middle-skill workers to economic opportunities through improved transit service and is meant to inform the planning of current and future transit corridors in the Denver region.

Statement of John Robert Smith, President and CEO of Reconnecting America, on the Administration's Proposed FY14 Budget: "In the Administration's recently released budget for Fiscal Year 2014, we were pleased to see a call for continued investment in the infrastructure we need to provide all Americans with transportation choices. Taken together, the $50 billion investment upfront and longer-term initiatives like the National Infrastructure Bank are designed to improve transit systems, rail lines, roadways and bridges, and other transportation modes nationwide. Encouraging innovation is at the root of America's values, therefore the amounts set aside within the Department of Transportation's budget for competitive multimodal programs and initiatives to attract private investment are particularly noteworthy. "These initiatives will build on the core programs that keep our transportation systems safe and productive. We are pleased that the President has requested full funding for…

Spartanburg, South Carolina, has a classic American history like many cities in the south. The region is naturally rich in resources and fertile farmland, and they profited heavily from the many cotton mills dotting the riverbanks of Spartanburg during the post-civil war era. Spartanburg’s position as a transportation hub earned it the nickname “Hub City” and brought even more profitability to the region as goods were delivered across the country. In the midst of the conflicts and movements of the 20th century, the city suffered the loss of its textile industry and has been working ever since to reinvent itself. In the 1990s, Spartanburg won large international contracts that laid the framework for a new type of economic prosperity; it is now the headquarters for BMW and other multinational companies.  

Reconnecting America President and CEO John Robert Smith issued the following response to President Obama's State of the Union address:

Reconnecting America President and CEO John Robert Smith today announced the appointment of Peter J. "Jack" Basso to the organization's Board of Directors.

Reconnecting America today released an updated version of its Jumpstarting the Transit Space Race interactive map, which documents the national interest in fixed-guideway transit. The fresh data show demand for transit development is even greater than when the first Space Race report was released in October 2008.