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House Passes Six-Year Highway & Transit Bill

November 6th, 2015 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card

Yesterday, newly-minted House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) shepherded through his first piece of major legislation with bipartisan passage of a six-year, $325 billion surface transportation reauthorization bill. The Surface Transportation Reauthorization & Reform (STRR) Act of 2015 cleared the House by a vote of 363-64. A last-minute amendment was added to STRR that secured an additional $40 billion in revenue from an unused Federal Reserve account. This means that while the House bill is now funded for a full six-years, it still does not increase highway and transit funding levels over the current amount. Following the bill’s passage, ASCE President Mark W. Woodson, P.E., F.ASCE, released a statement saying, “While the House-passed bill provides six years of stability for the nation’s road, bridge, and transit programs, it fails to increase funding to levels that are adequate to properly maintain our infrastructure.” Mark went on to state that, “ASCE is disappointed that House leadership prevented a vote on raising the federal gas tax – a policy solution that would have provided long-term funding and certainty that states desperately need to move forward with their transportation projects.” ASCE endorsed multiple amendments that were offered to raise the gas tax, including one by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), however none of those amendments were allowed to receive a full vote on the House floor. An amendment that was defeated, which ASCE weighed-in against, was a sense of Congress resolution introduced by Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) in support of the concept of devolving the federal transportation program to the states. Some highlights of the House bill include: • Multi-year program certainty that will help states and localities better plan and deliver projects; • Accelerated project delivery reforms aimed to improve collaboration between agencies and create deadlines for agency action(s); • Providing grants to states for continued and expanded pilot testing of future road user fee collection systems; • A new competitive grant to address bus and bus facility needs; • Increased focus on funding for roadway safety infrastructure and on the safety needs of rural roads; and • An option for localities to bundle small projects such as bridges to increase efficiency. The House vote follows previous Senate action in July on its surface transportation bill, which provided only three years of funding although at much higher levels. Now the House and Senate will work to negotiate a compromise before the looming November 20 deadline. ASCE will be reviewing the House and Senate bills to determine which provisions we favor to be included in any final agreement. On funding, ASCE urges a final bill be multi-year with sizable funding increases for highway and transit programs. Be sure to check this blog regularly in the coming days and weeks to get more updates on how you can help our advocacy effort to #FixTheTrustFund.

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House Readies for Action on Surface Transportation Bill

October 29th, 2015 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card

Yesterday, Congress enacted a short-term extension of current highway and transit program authority before the looming deadline of October 29. The current authorization and solvency of the federal Highway Trust Fund will now expire on November 20, which gives Congress about three more weeks to conclude a few important remaining steps in the process of completing work on a surface transportation bill:

Next week the House will take-up and likely pass its own six-year transportation bill which provides flat-line funding for the next three years;
Immediately thereafter, the House and Senate will convene a conference committee and work quickly to produce a compromise bill;
The House and Senate will then have to pass an identical bill through each chamber before it can be sent to President Obama for his signature, hopefully before the November 20 deadline.

With the next step being the need of the House to pass a bill, ASCE needs you to contact your House member and urge he/she to support the House bill so that funding and policy differences can be addressed in conference with the Senate. While ASCE remains concerned about the woefully inadequate funding levels provided in the House bill for highway and transit programs, there are legislative reforms included that will improve various aspects of the nation’s surface transportation program. In particular, the House bill contains sound polices that aim to improve roadway safety, streamline the environmental review and permitting process, and enhance the level of private-sector investment in surface transportation projects. Please take a moment to tell your Representative to vote YES on the House bill in order to get to a conference with the Senate where agreement can be reached on a final bill.

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House Unveils Surface Transportation Bill

October 19th, 2015 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card

On Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Transportation & Infrastructure Committee unveiled a six-year surface transportation reauthorization bill. The bipartisan legislation, titled, the Surface Transportation Re-authorization and Reform Act (STRRA) of 2015, contains three years of flat-level funding for highway and transit programs and will be marked-up by the committee this Thursday. In rolling out their bill, legislative sponsors have stated the importance of its provisions to reform existing programs, refocus those programs on national priorities, provide more flexibility and certainty for state and local partners, and emphasis on transportation innovation. ASCE believes that status quo funding levels for surface transportation, as is provided in STRRA, are inadequate. Currently this underinvestment costs the average American family about $1,000 from their budget each year from now until 2020 due to the current road, bridge and transit conditions. ASCE believes that members of the House should utilize every available opportunity to attempt to increase funding levels for highway and transit programs beyond where they currently exist in STRRA. Despite the inadequate funding levels, STRRA does contain policy items that ASCE supports, including:

Multi-year program certainty that will help states and localities better plan and deliver projects;
Accelerated project delivery reforms aimed to improve collaboration between agencies and create deadlines for agency action(s);
Providing grants to states for continued and expanded pilot testing of future road user fee collection systems;
A new competitive grant to address bus and bus facility needs;
Increased focus on funding for roadway safety infrastructure and on the safety needs of rural roads; and
An option for localities to bundle small projects such as bridges to increase efficiency.

The introduction of the House bill follows action by the Senate in July in passing a multi-year bill with increased funding levels. In order to get a bill to President Obama for his signature soon, the House will have to pass a bill and negotiate a compromise with the Senate. The House and Senate will then have to pass that identical bill through each chamber for it to be sent to the President. Please contact your House member and urge he/she to move forward on a House bill in order to get to a conference with the Senate where agreement can be reached on a final bill. You can view the House markup set to begin this Thursday at 10:00AM ET here.

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It’s Off to the Races on a House Highway & Transit Bill

October 14th, 2015 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card

Today, the chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) Bill Shuster (R-PA) announced that his committee would be holding a mark-up of a surface transportation authorization bill on October 22. The bill, text of which has not yet been finalized is titled, the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2015. In making the announcement, Shuster noted that the bill would, “reform programs, refocus those programs on national priorities, provide more flexibility and certainty for state and local partners, and welcome innovation.” The markup is set to begin at 10:00AM ET next Thursday and will be livestreamed here .

The announcement comes after legislative progress this summer by the U.S. Senate which passed the DRIVE Act that provides three years of increased funding and six years of policy for federal road, bridge and transit programs. This funding increase is supported by a large majority of Americans as demonstrated in a recent public survey by the motor club AAA. The survey found that 70% of respondents believed that the federal government should invest more than it does now for roads, bridges and mass transit systems. The survey also found that only 38% of Americans believe that Congress is taking the necessary steps to ensure that our roads, bridges and transit systems will meet the needs of the nation. Please let your House members know you support them moving forward quickly on legislation that provides multi-year certainty and increased funding levels for highway and transit programs.

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Dagher to be recognized by White House for Composite Arch Bridges

October 9th, 2015 | By: Olivia Wolfertz

Could it be possible to construct a bridge in two weeks that lasts up to 100 years, has similar costs as a regular steel and concrete bridge, and requires minimal maintenance? It may seem farfetched, but ASCE member and Founding Director of the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center Dr. Habib Dagher, invented and achieved that very thing with his award-winning composite arch bridge system, often known as the “Bridge-in-a-Backpack.” Dagher will be recognized Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015, for his groundbreaking innovation by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx at a White House ceremony honoring 11 of the nation’s top transportation innovators. Each year, the Champions of Change program recognizes Americans who are advancing transportation and leading change that benefits our nation’s transportation system. The composite arch bridge system consists of inflatable tubes made of fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) that act as reinforcement for cast-in-place concrete. Once on site, the patented bridge technology can be erected and lifted into place without heavy equipment or large crews in a matter of days, as opposed to several months. Construction costs for the “bridge-in-a-backpack” are comparable to those of a standard bridge. The technology is extremely durable, has a smaller carbon footprint than current bridge technologies, and is estimated to last two or three times longer than the typical 40-70 year lifespan of a concrete-and-steel bridge. The University of Maine has licensed the bridge technology to private start-up company Advanced Infrastructure Technologies (AIT), who designs and builds these bridges. The composite arch bridge system was also approved by AASHTO, the first technology of its kind to be approved in the U.S. bridge design code. To date, composite arch bridges have been installed by AIT in 18 locations around the nation and other countries.

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New York Infrastructure Receives C- Report Card

September 29th, 2015 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card

In the inaugural 2015 Report Card for New York’s Infrastructure released today, the state received an overall grade of “C-” from the New York Council of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Assessing nine categories, the report finds that the state’s roads and bridges are among the categories most in need of repair, receiving grades of “D-” and “D+” respectively because of their state of deterioration and lack of adequate funding to improve conditions. In addition, wastewater received a low grade of “D.” The category of parks and solid waste both earned the highest grade of “B-.” New York’s infrastructure faces several challenges and, in its current condition, the infrastructure system is a drag on the state’s economy. These challenges are highlighted in the Report Card:

The three airports servicing New York City account for a majority of the nation’s airport delays. By the year 2030, JFK is expected to exceed its current traveler capacity by 30%, and ten other commercial service airports in New York will also exceed 60% of the current capacities.
Of New York’s more than 17,000 bridges, the majority were built in the 20th century, with over 50% of bridges over 75 years old. Nationally, the average age of a bridge is 42 years.
The average New York City area commuter, which accounts for half the state’s population, wastes 53 hours per year sitting in traffic.
Poor road conditions and traffic congestion cost motorists a total of $6.3 billion statewide—an average of $477 per Syracuse motorists.
The State of New York is only spending 20% of what is needed to modernize the wastewater system.
One in every four of New York’s wastewater facilities are operating beyond their 30-year useful life expectancy.

“As one of the oldest cities in the country, New York has aging infrastructure that serves a constantly growing population. We are home to iconic infrastructure such as the Brooklyn Bridge, but the entire network of infrastructure matters—not just the recognizable landmarks,” said Bud Griffis, P.E., Ph.D. New York Report Card Committee Chair. “The Report Card shows that our infrastructure is only as good as the weakest links and that we have a lot of areas that need improvement. Luckily, our governor and mayor have been implementing policies that will help address these needs, and strengthen the economy.” Among the recommendations detailed in the report to raise the grades:

Create a prioritization program to assess the state’s transportation infrastructure needs starting from existing bridge asset management programs and based on accepted standards.
Develop more consistent funding sources of funding for dams and support the creation of dam rehabilitation funding legislation at the federal and state levels for public and private owners of high hazard and intermediate hazard dams.
As infrastructure is being rebuilt, make it more resilient and sustainable.

“A solid, sustainable, twenty first infrastructure is the level playing field we need to spur economic growth in cities across our state and country,” said Syracuse Mayor Stephanie A. Miner. “From water mains to roads and bridges to the next generation of broadband technology, these are the critical components needed to keep our communities growing in the right direction. I urge the State of New York to increase its investment in municipal infrastructure to help our cities thrive.” A team of professional engineers from across New York assessed the nine categories of infrastructure to reach the cumulative grade of “C-.” The categories include Aviation (C), Bridges (D+), Dams (C-), Drinking Water (C), Parks (B-), Roads (D-), Solid Waste (B-), Transit (C-), Wastewater (D). The New York Report Card was created as a public service to citizens and politicians of the state to inform them of the infrastructure needs in their community. By using school report card letter grades, civil engineers have used their expertise to condense complicated data into easy-to-understand analysis. State level report cards are modeled after the national 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, which gave America’s infrastructure a grade of D+.

View the full report here.

Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers represents more than 145,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America’s oldest national engineering society. ASCE’s 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, graded America’s cumulative GPA for infrastructure at a D+. The Report Card app for Apple and Android devices includes videos, interactive maps and info-graphics that tell the story behind the grades, as well as key facts for all 50 states.

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Highway Fund in Trouble by November 20th

September 23rd, 2015 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card

GRAPH: Cash balance estimates of the Highway Account of the federal Highway Trust Fund; courtesy of the Federal Highway Administration

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) recently announced that the Highway Account of the federal Highway Trust Fund (HTF) will become insolvent by November 20, 2015 if Congress fails to provide additional revenue. The HTF also has a Transit Account that will become insolvent by May 27, 2016. USDOT deems the Highway Account to be insolvent when it dips below the preferred minimum $4 billion threshold, after which USDOT will begin to implement emergency cash management procedures that will slow and reduce expense reimbursements to states. This means that Congress is facing two looming deadlines when it comes to the need to pass a multi-year surface transportation authorization bill with additional funding:

October 29, which, following a July extension, is the new date to pass a renewal of the HTF authorization; and
November 20, which is the projected date when federal funding will slow and be reduced to states.

In order to avert this crisis, ASCE and its members have been actively engaged in putting pressure on the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a long-term transportation bill. Republican and Democratic House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee leaders are still working on agreeing to the contents of the bill before it is introduced. In July, the U.S. Senate passed a bill that provides six years of policy reforms and three years of funding to states and localities in order to improve the nation’s roads, bridges and transit systems. Please help put pressure on the House to move quickly by reminding your members of Congress of the importance of this issue.

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Secretary Foxx to Congress: Raise Your Sights

September 9th, 2015 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx speaks at the National Press Club; 9/9/15 – Photo by ASCE

In yet another sign that summer is officially over, members of Congress have returned to Washington, D.C. to conduct their fall business. Greeting them with a clear message was U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Anthony Foxx. “I urge [Congress] to look at the needs of their constituents – to focus on results, and not just the tool to drive those results,” Foxx stated in remarks at the National Press Club. The “tool” the Secretary was referring to is the federal Highway Trust Fund (HTF), which has teetered on the brink of bankruptcy for many years now. Recently in July, Congress provided an influx of $8 billion in general fund money to boost the ailing HTF. Due to this increased funding USDOT estimates that funds will be present in the HTF until at least September 2016 though the HTF will reach insolvency (dip below a $4 billion minimum threshold) at the end of this calendar year. Foxx went on to say that the nation needs to, “use the Highway Trust Fund as the tool it was intended to be to drive outcomes in America.” Also speaking at the event was former Mississippi governor and current lobbyist Haley Barbour and the head of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, James Hoffa. Barbour underscored the need for Congress to view the transportation network as multi-modal system and described his first-hand knowledge of how international businesses evaluate a state or city’s infrastructure to determine whether or not they will locate their facilities there. Hoffa outlined a new infrastructure awareness campaign by the Teamsters called “Let’s Get America Working.” “It is long past time for us to put aside our differences and unite behind a single purpose we all agree on – we must invest in our infrastructure and put Americans to work,” Hoffa said. Congress has until October 29, 2015 to pass a multi-year highway and transit bill or the program will shut down. In July the U.S. Senate passed the DRIVE Act, which ASCE supports and provides six years of funding certainty to states and localities in order to improve our nation’s roads, bridges and transit systems. The U.S. House of Representatives will soon unveil their multi-year bill to address this issue. Please help by writing your members of Congress and urging them to pass a long-term transportation bill by the October 29 deadline.

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Despite Senate Transportation Action, House Stymies Progress

July 30th, 2015 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card

Sens. Inhofe (R-OK) and Boxer (D-CA) led Senate efforts on approving the DRIVE Act

During the last two months, the Senate made good use of its time to craft a multi-year surface transportation bill with an increase in funding. As is often the way for Congress, it still came down to the wire. For over a week, the U.S. Senate has been in a mad dash to complete its work on a multi-year surface transportation bill before the looming July 31 legislative deadline hits. With the help of ASCE members, fellow coalition members including Associated General Contractors, the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, many other groups, and the public, the Senate was successful in doing so – with even a little bit of time to spare. Today the Senate delivered to the House for consideration a six-year, $350 billion road, bridge and transit policy bill that provides three-years of dedicated funding and boosts current investment levels. The only problem? The House is not in session to take it up and pass it before the Friday deadline. In the Congressional equivalent of ding-dong-ditch, yesterday the House passed and sent to the Senate a three-month program extension just as House members left town for August recess, which meant the Senate had no option but to pass the three-month extension in order to avoid a program shutdown on July 31. So in the end the Senate was successful in doing its work, but was unable to get their effort signed into law by the July 31 deadline because the House left town early and refused to take it up. The Senate bill’s funding increases for highway and transit are a step in right direction, but still far below the investment levels America needs to address its aging roads, bridges, and transit systems. However, when compared to the horrible status-quo that the federal program finds itself in – a seemingly endless cycle of short-term extensions combined with a continued deterioration of the purchasing power of transportation dollars – the Senate bill was the most promising legislation proposed during the two-month extension. “In the next three months, ASCE urges the House and Senate to work through their policy differences and continue the legacy of the Highway Trust Fund,” said Tom Smith, ASCE’s executive director. “This short-term extension needs to be the last and we believe it can be, so long as Congress moves the nation forward by working together in a bipartisan way to finish their work on improving America’s surface transportation infrastructure.” Of note the Senate bill: • Provides six years of policy reforms and contract authority for highways and transit programs, thus ending the cycle of short-term, multi-month program extensions; • Provides three years of dedicated revenue to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) so states can deliver more long-term projects; • Increases funding levels for both highway, transit and passenger rail programs in order to reduce our nation’s maintenance and construction backlog; • Provides for a new national dedicated freight program to improve goods movement; • Contains bipartisan permitting reforms that would set deadlines for project decisions, increase transparency and reduce litigation delays; and • Contains a federal pilot program for future user-fee revenue generating systems like those currently being tested in some states regarding vehicle miles traveled (VMT). While the summer legislative battle is over and victory was confined to the U.S. Senate, transportation advocates will take the August break and recharge our batteries to be ready for the final fall push when Congress is back in September. Please take a moment to see how your Senator voted and thank him/her on their leadership this July. We will need their support again soon enough once a final House and Senate compromise comes together.

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Fix the Trust Fund: Now it’s the Senate’s Turn

July 20th, 2015 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card

Last Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to extend highway and transit programs until December 18, 2015 on a 312-119 vote. The House bill granted a $8.1 billion boost the Highway trust Fund (HTF) to keep it solvent past the looming July 31 deadline. This extension will fund surface transportation projects through the mid-December timeframe. The decision was reached, because extending the program is seen as a far better alternative than allowing the HTF to run out of money. “The last thing we want to do is see road construction stop at the beginning of August,” said Rep. Paul Ryan, the Wisconsin Republican who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee. This week the Senate will pursue an alternative approach, where a bipartisan group of Republicans and Democrats, led by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell want to pass a long-term bill. Senate Republican leaders are trying to find money for a six-year bill, the DRIVE Act, which cleared the Environment and Public Works Committee a few weeks ago. The bill, S. 1647, would provide a twenty percent increase in funding over the course of six years and proposes reforms to improve freight movement, deliver large projects and streamline project delivery. The cycle of short-term extensions has blocked planning and delivery of major projects in several states, and even more states have announced that they will be forced to cancel and delay projects until the Congress enacts a multi-year bill. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has said that uncertainty about highway funds has led to canceled projects in Georgia, Tennessee, Vermont, Delaware and Arkansas. He said that unless Congress acts to extend funding beyond the July 31 deadline, the U.S. Department of Transportation “will not have the authority to provide project sponsors with any additional contract authority for new or ongoing projects.” In early August, the balance of the Highway Trust Fund will drop below $4 billion which is when the reimbursement payments to states for completed projects will slow. The time is now to focus on the activity in the Senate and urge lawmakers to vote in favor of a long-term bill by the July 31 deadline. To help, you can:

Send a request today to meet with your members of Congress: Here are some helpful hints and how to set up a “back home” meeting.
Contact your Senators via letter or phone call: If you can’t meet in person, send your Senators a quick letter or give their office a call and ask for the staff that handles transportation. Look up their number and get talking points here.
Communicate with your member of Congress via social media: Most members of Congress have Facebook and Twitter pages. In addition to calling or writing a letter, urge them to #FixTheTrustFund on social media.

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