A grant from the federal government is helping improve transportation planning options in the Puget Sound region.

The nonprofit Hopelink received a $519,000 Innovative Coordinated Access and Mobility Project grant, a program created through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021.

Staci Sahoo, director of mobility management for the nonprofit Hopelink, said the funds will support the second phase in the development of its online tool, the Find a Ride Trip Planner. She pointed out different transportation resources each have their own avenues for signing up.

"We're so excited for is to make it as seamless as we possibly can with all the systems diverging," Sahoo explained. "How do we bring it all into one tool so that somebody just has to apply, just has to sign up one time?"

Sahoo noted the ultimate goal of the Find a Trip Planner tool is to create a seamless process for the booking and payment of transportation. Many people currently need to work across different apps and tools to navigate the process. The planner provides transportation options across King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties.

Sahoo stressed finding transportation can be hard especially for people who may have mobility issues. However, the tool could help them identify resources for transportation.

"An individual who uses a mobility device, a person who identifies as low vision or blind, they're likely eligible for a lot more services than they realize," Sahoo observed. "That's what we're trying to help connect them with."

Sahoo added the tool has also helped to identify gaps in transportation services. For example, Snoqualmie Valley recently launched service on the weekend.

"Our first priority is the end user, the person who will be using the tool," Sahoo asserted. "We've already seen benefits on actually increasing services because we're able to more easily see what's lacking."

The Find a Ride Trip Planner was among 17 projects selected to receive an Innovative Coordinated Access and Mobility Project grant. The Federal Transit Administration distributed a combined $7.8 million to the projects.


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Communities in southern and eastern Montana were connected to passenger rail lines running from Chicago to Seattle until 1979. An effort to fund the revival of those routes passed the House but failed in the Montana Senate this week by a few votes.

The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority has garnered support from county commissioners, city council members and Montanans across party lines since its creation in 2020, especially in communities that could again become rail towns.

Jason Stuart, vice chair of the authority, called rural rail a "critical lifeline."

"Folks need access to critical health care services and other services and the only way they can reach them is by car," Stuart noted. "Passenger trains would just be such a blessing for all these communities up and down, throughout Southern Montana and southern North Dakota."

He added it would bring economic opportunities as well. House Bill 848 had requested $2 million from the state's railroad car tax to go to the authority annually, about half of its average revenue.

Opponents, largely with the freight industry, argued they should not be expected to subsidize passenger rail.

Rep. Forrest Mandeville, R-Columbus, brought a late amendment suggesting each local government entity that is a rail authority member fund it with $50,000 annually.

Samantha Beyl, Rosebud County director for the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority, said the payments are not practical.

"Especially the rural towns, I don't see how any one county has an extra $50,000 laying around to do that," Beyl contended.

A $500,000 grant from the Federal Railroad Administration's Corridor Identification and Development Program helped support plans for the Big Sky North Coast Corridor, mapped from Glendive to Saint Regis through Billings, Helena and Missoula.


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Law enforcement agencies are still trying to get the message through about the dangers and costs that stem from distracted driving.

A Minnesota police chief is echoing calls for people to realize that a text message can wait.

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

This year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rolled out its "Put the Phone Away or Pay" campaign in hopes of convincing drivers to resist looking at their cell phones when behind the wheel.

Winona Police Chief Tom Williams said he feels this is still a pervasive issue.

"We've kind of lost track of the responsibilities associated with operating a motor vehicle," said Williams, "and we're so attached to our phones and social media."

Williams encouraged drivers to seek out safe spaces to pull over -- like a well-lit parking lot -- to answer a text or email, if it's urgent.

Along some roadways around the country, transportation departments have added texting zones, similar to areas for a stalled vehicle.

Last year, there were 29 deaths linked to distracted driving in Minnesota, up from the previous year.

Like most states, Minnesota has laws that require hands-free cell phone use when driving.

Car technology has improved to keep motorists connected while still paying attention to the road. But Williams said many models out there are not equipped with those amenities.

"And people aren't necessarily always going to spend anything," said Williams, "for aftermarket additions to their cars."

Analysts say some newer cars have too many technological bells and whistles that can overwhelm a driver, even if they're hands-free.

They say things like collision warning features might be making drivers too reliant on those aids, diminishing their safety instincts.

Federal officials estimate distracted driving costs Americans $129 billion each year due to property damage, medical expenses and legal fees.




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A new report has found some progress has been made to improve the nation's aging infrastructure, but a lot more needs to be done.

This week, the American Society of Civil Engineers released its 2025 Report Card for America's Infrastructure. It gives the nation an overall grade of "C," up from a "C-minus" in 2021.

Kristina Swallow, assistant city manager for the City of Tucson, credited the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, even as both have been targeted by the Trump administration. She said more improvements will require more funding.

"We feel it," Swallow pointed out. "If you get stuck in traffic or if you have somebody who is injured while they're riding their bike or walking to work, you know that the system isn't necessarily working the way it should be. We want to help make sure that when industry, local, state and federal governments invest in infrastructure, that they're doing it wisely."

The report showed just over half of Arizona roads are in either poor or fair condition. It noted $12 billion is needed to improve drinking water systems and $4 billion to upgrade wastewater systems in the state.

Swallow pointed out bridges are among the brighter spots in Arizona's scores, with fewer than 2% of the more than 8,500 bridges in the state in poor condition. She stressed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was essential to support maintenance.

"While Arizona has generally, I think, some of the better bridges in the nation, that additional bridge investment on a national level really helped some of the other states address some of their poor and failing bridges," Swallow observed. "As well as start to look at some of the 'fair' bridges and bring them back up into good repair."

Community expansion and climate change have increased demand for repairs. Swallow added some voters have noticed and supported initiatives at the ballot box in recent years.

"In Tucson, they've voted three times to invest in roadway infrastructure, in connections and greenways and in parks," Swallow reported. "Because they recognize that the community members in Tucson need to have roads that meet their needs."

And even if current federal infrastructure funding were to remain the same, the report added there would still be a $3.7 trillion gap over the next decade.


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