Weekend America Series
America's Infrastructure
America's Infrastructure
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Gas in Them Thar Hills
Over the past few years, prospectors have been combing the hills of Pennsylvania. The mineral that's setting off the frenzy is shale. It's a mile or more below ground, and it's full of natural gas - maybe enough to fuel the entire United States for two years. The "gas rush" could make some Pennsylvanians rich. But it could also pollute the state's air and water.
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America's Infrastructure: Urban Drains
This week in Missouri, a constitutional amendment goes into effect to help cities access more money for drainage projects. In an effort to get to the bottom of what the amendment aimed to do, reporter Adam Allington did a little urban spelunking into the miles of storm water drains running underneath the city of Columbia, Mo. He met up with a guide to help him find his way.
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America's Infrastructure: Jordan Bridge
This weekend, the Jordan Bridge in Chesapeake, Va. will close permanently. It's the oldest drawbridge in Virginia and a shortcut for many residents to and from the shipyards. Many small bridges around the country are closing permanently, giving Americans rough commutes and forcing them to spend more time and money to get to their jobs.
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America's Infrastructure: St. Louis Paratransit
This weekend in St. Louis, public transit advocates are making a last push to convince voters to pass Proposition M. It would increase sales taxes by half a cent. If it doesn't pass, officials say they'll have to slash services, raise fares, or maybe both. Weekend America and the PBS television project Blueprint America sent reporter Rick Karr to St. Louis to visit the people who're most likely to suffer from service cuts.
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America's Infrastructure: Delaware Aqueduct
The longest tunnel in the world supplies New York City with drinking water. And it's leaking: Just in the amount of time that this show is on the air, the Delaware Aqueduct will leak at least enough to put a football field under three and a half feet of water. It's just one part of America's infrastructure that's falling apart. Reporter Rick Karr has the story of the catastrophe that's unfolding several hundred feet underground.
