Only 60 percent of the Metro's 600 escalators in Washington, D.C. are functioning at any one time, adding an obstacle to riders' commutes

Cities across the nation are opening more toll roads and raising prices at existing ones to help supplement tight budgets.

The Obama administration has been pushing for major high speed rail investment. So far, the U.S. has invested $7 billion in the technology. In China, the country has spent $309 billion on building a futuristic bullet train system.