Time is Running Out for Adequate, Long-Term Funding of Our Nation’s Surface Transportation Infrastructure

When it comes to federal funding, the highway and transportation construction industry has had to endure the uncertainty of eight temporary extensions of federal surface transportation legislation since it expired on September 30, 2009. The current extension of the “Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users” (SAFETEA-LU) continues the federal program at funding levels of $41 billion annually, but it expires on March 31, 2012.

While The Road Information Program’s (TRIP) efforts and those by other stakeholders have raised awareness of the need to improve our nation’s surface transportation infrastructure, they have not yet resulted in Congressional action on long-term reauthorization and time is running out.

Senate Environment Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and House Transportation Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) have both unveiled outlines of their respective bills. The House proposal of a $230 billion, six-year bill matches the current revenues going into the federal Highway Trust Fund. As a result, it would cut highway funding by more than 30 percent, although the House leadership has now given Chairman Mica permission to go for a bigger bill – with no motor-fuel tax increase.

Senator Boxer’s plan, “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century” (MAP-21), is only a two-year bill, but it maintains spending at current levels plus inflation. While the bill calls for maintaining current funding levels, to do that additional Highway Trust Fund revenue must be found. Identifying the necessary revenue is the responsibility of the Senate Finance Committee. Senator Baucus (D- Mont.), Chair of the Finance Committee, has been working with Senator Boxer in trying to identify a revenue source to make up the $12 billion funding gap.

In other recent developments, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) have both openly acknowledged the importance of improving our nation’s transportation infrastructure and tied it closely to job creation and economic growth. This coupled with President Obama’s continued urging of Congress to take action on surface transportation infrastructure has helped moved the issue more into the forefront, but our job is far from over.

What can we do?

Leading up to and continuing through each extension, TRIP has partnered with national and state construction industry associations, like NASBP, regional chambers of commerce, state departments of transportation and regional governments to produce and release more than 50 TRIP reports to the news media. The resulting news coverage – more than 750 newspaper and Internet articles and 1,100 TV and radio broadcasts — has helped our industry partners publicize the need for federal lawmakers to act on an adequately funded, long-term bill.

Since most people today still obtain their news from local television, newspapers (web editions included) and radio, TRIP’s strategy is to generate local news coverage of the need for federal , state and local action on road, bridge and transit funding. TRIP reports on congestion, safety and the extra vehicle operating costs motorists incur driving over roads and bridges in need of repair have appeared in prominent news articles and broadcasts in national and local news outlets across the country. To view examples of news coverage generated this year, click here for the TRIP State Facts and Media Coverage Map.

TRIP’s grassroots public education efforts and those of our national, state, and local coalition partners will continue to put road, bridge and transit funding needs in the news, and in front of the American public and their lawmakers. The NASBP membership can help too. The link above contains state specific reports/and or fact sheets for all 50 states and can provide any member, affiliate, or associate the latest data and information for reference when contacting a member of Congress.

Will Wilkins, the author of this article, has served as the executive director of The Road Information Program (TRIP) since 1987. TRIP is a private, national transportation research nonprofit that was incorporated in Washington, DC in 1971. During Will’s tenure, TRIP has prepared and distributed national, state and regional reports on a variety of surface transportation issues in all 50 states. Besides managing the day-to-day operations of TRIP, Will serves as a spokesperson to the news media.