In this section, Informed Infrastructure compiles infographics from trusted sources that reveal insight on infrastructure spending. We also compile some of the top infrastructure stories that shouldn’t be missed. For ongoing news coverage, turn to Informed Infrastructure online (www.informedinfrastructure.com), our Twitter feed
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EPA Releases Fuel Economy and Greenhouse Gas Reports

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released its new “Light-Duty Automotive Technology, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, and Fuel Economy Trends” report, showing that average fuel economy of new vehicles increased 0.1 miles per gallon from model-year 2015 to model-year 2016. According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, an extra mile per gallon would have saved drivers $13 billion in 2017.

In addition, the “Manufacturer Performance Report” showed that automakers stayed in compliance with greenhouse gas emissions standards, despite the small increase in average miles per gallon, by spending some of the credits they’d accumulated through over-compliance in prior years: the industry spent 11 percent of available credits to comply with model-year 2016 greenhouse gas standards.

National Transit Database Provides Key Stats on U.S. Public Transportation

Did you know that Americans took 10.2 billion trips on public transportation in 2016, and that transit ridership increased 26 percent during the last 20 years?

These facts come from the National Transit Database (NTD), a trove of statistics and information about public transportation in the United States. Established by Congress in 1974, the NTD is the nation’s primary source of publicly available data on transit systems across the country. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) manages the NTD and uses the data to allocate federal funds. In addition to FTA, a variety of groups and individuals use the database, including state and local governments, researchers and students, the media, and industry associations.

The accompanying National Transit Map graphic highlights some key statistics. For more information and current data, visit the FTA website at www.transit.dot.gov/ntd.

ACI Releases World Airport Traffic Forecasts

Airports Council International (ACI) released the latest edition of the “World Airport Traffic Forecasts (WATF) 2016-2040,” which presents aggregate airport traffic projections at global, regional and country levels based on internationally comparable airport traffic data. Absolute figures and compounded annual growth rates are presented through short-, medium- and long-term time horizons. Global traffic surpassed the 7 billion passenger mark in 2015 and is expected to double by 2029 based on a projected growth rate of 5.2 percent per annum.

“Because infrastructure projects are costly and often disruptive, a data-driven understanding of future demand—such as the expected number of aircraft movements, passenger traffic throughput and air cargo volumes—gives airport planners and investors the necessary information for effective decision making,” said Angela Gittens, director general of ACI World.