ASC's Intersections Newsletter — July 16, 2026
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Nora's Note
A New DBE Landscape for FHWA Projects. If your firm pursues FHWA-funded transportation work in New York, now is a good time to revisit your DBE teaming strategy.
NYSDOT has released its proposed FFY 2026–2028 DBE Goal Methodology, establishing an overall DBE participation goal of 7.23% for FHWA-assisted contracts. At the same time, recent federal eligibility changes have significantly reshaped the DBE marketplace. The number of certified firms in the statewide directory has decreased from approximately 4,580 to 1,096.
Arch Street Communications is pleased to be among the firms successfully recertified through the New York State Unified Certification Program. As a certified DBE and WBE specializing in public engagement, stakeholder outreach, and strategic communications for transportation and infrastructure projects, ASC is once again eligible to support FHWA-funded pursuits. Notably, NYSDOT's proposed methodology identifies just 32 certified DBEs statewide in the Marketing Consulting Services category (NAICS 541613), making experienced communications partners a limited resource.
We'll be participating in NYSDOT's webinar on the proposed methodology and will share additional observations as the program moves toward implementation. In the meantime, if you're building teams for upcoming FHWA pursuits, we'd welcome the opportunity to reconnect. Our updated transportation qualifications are now available on our website.
Transportation
Despite recent efforts at the federal level to disincentivize new electric vehicle purchases, the number of hybrid and used electric car sales has increased dramatically. Between 2023 and 2026, hybrid vehicle sales have increased by 80%, while used EV sales jumped up 29% since last spring. A Pew Research survey in March found that one-third of American adults say that they're somewhat or very likely to seriously consider purchasing an electric vehicle, a number that might increase given the prolonged spike in gas prices due to the Iran war. Read more to learn about rising EV demand in the United States. (Source: Atmos)
Gothamist: NYC plans to replace nearly 30K parking spaces with trash bins, report shows
AMNY: Summer Streets: NYC will once again turn some roadways over to pedestrians, cyclists on select dates in July and August
Streetsblog: Rural and disabled Pennsylvanians fighting for transit as keystone state budget nears late deal
Climate
As demand for batteries grows alongside the rise of electric vehicles and renewable energy, researchers are developing alternatives to lithium-ion technology. Solid-state batteries can power longer-range EVs, while sodium-ion batteries offer a cheaper, easier-to-source option for electrical grid storage. Rather than replacing lithium-ion batteries, these alternatives are expected to serve different needs, with each battery type playing a specific role in our future energy storage market. Read more to learn about how these technologies can transform energy storage. (Source: Yale Environment 360)
Canary Media: Hawaiʻi committed to 100% clean energy. Now it’s flirting with natural gas
Grist: Urban trees aren’t just nice, scientists say — they’re mandatory
Inside Climate News: Herring and herons: signs of the Charles River’s vast improvement
Economic Development
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) awarded $1.73 billion in grants to 127 transportation and infrastructure projects, across all states and the District of Columbia. With dollars from the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) program, projects awarded include road and bridge projects, public transit, aviation infrastructure, freight and passenger rail projects, truck parking, and port infrastructure. While roughly 77% of total funding, or $1.3 billion, went to road and bridge projects, including $24 million to replace up to three bridges over the Red River connecting North Dakota and Minnesota, public transit projects received less than 10% of total grants, or $169.9 million, including $25 million to improve accessibility at eight Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) stations. Read more about the awards here. (Source: Smart Cities Dive)
The City: Big business is leasing record office space in Mamdani’s New York
Planetizen: Former power plant in Alexandria to become walkable waterfront neighborhood with 800 homes
The Real Deal: Hochul awards $1B in bonds, subsidies to affordable projects
Digital
New York City is hiring 30 technologists, but not to build the next flashy AI tool. The new Public Interest Technology Crews will embed product managers, designers, engineers, user researchers, and data experts within city agencies to solve specific problems and make government services easier to use. The first crew will work with the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection to create a portal for reporting companies that make subscriptions costly and difficult to cancel. Other teams will focus on projects connected to the city’s affordability agenda. The crews will have access to AI tools, but the city says the point is not to build public-facing AI products. It is to give agencies the technical expertise to understand a problem, build something useful, and fix it without waiting years. Read more about the initiative here. (Source: Inc.)
GovTech: A city’s AI upskilling program empowers staff to build tools
Route Fifty: AI’s real promise for government: shortening the distance from data to decision
Forbes: Power-bill fears drove Virginia’s first-in-nation data center tax
About Arch Street Communications
At ASC, we help government agencies, corporations and nonprofit organizations across the globe communicate issues that affect people’s lives. We’re the bold, nimble, women-owned small business (WBE) that has supported strategic communications programs to build stronger communities for 30 years.
Ready to find the “simple truth” solutions to build a better future? We want to hear from you! Get in touch to learn how our signature approach can work for you.
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