States Head to the Hill to Talk Transportation
January 29th, 2015 | By: Becky Moylan
Among several transportation-related Congressional hearings this week, the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works hosted U.S. DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx, the governors of Alabama and Vermont, and the South Dakota DOT secretary to discuss the need to fix the Highway Trust Fund. Sec. Foxx told the committee, “Gridlock in Washington is now creating gridlock on Main Street.” In his testimony, he identified the challenges of operating a federal program that continually has short-term policy and funding extensions, concluding that these tactics are “Literally killing [the states] will to build.” The state representatives offered their unique perspectives on how short-term surface transportation bills hinder their ability to effectively plan and executive projects. Gov. Robert Bentley (AL-R) talked about why the federal government needs to continue as a trusted partner “so that states can plan for and make infrastructure improvements,” and emphasized that “A long-term federal transportation reauthorization will provide certainty,” connecting transportation investment to economic development. Gov. Peter Shumlin (VT-D) focused on how smaller states, such as his, have fewer funding resources and therefore depend on the federal government to fund projects through the Highway Trust Fund. He stated that “When there is uncertainty about funding…we’re in a terrible position of having to dig for cash that we didn’t anticipated we would need” or putting projects on hold. South Dakota DOT Secretary Darin Bergquist echoed the two governors’ sentiments, speaking about the challenges specifically in his state caused by a smaller population and longer winter. “States cannot do it alone,” he said. “We need a strong federal program.” This hearing is one in a series centered around the Highway Trust Fund and the law that governs it – MAP-21 – which is set to expire in May if Congress does not act.Tags: highway trust fund, surface transportation
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Enhance Rhode Island’s Mass Transit Systems — Vote “Yes” on Question 6
October 29th, 2014 | By: Maria Matthews
Support improved mobility and a reduction in road congestion by voting to “approve” Question 6 on November 4th.
Rhode Island voters will be asked to invest in transit improvements to make travel, and commuting, easier. Passing this measure will allow the State of Rhode Island to issue bonds and notes to fund enhancements and renovations to mass transit hub infrastructure throughout the State of Rhode Island to improve access to multiple intermodal sites, key transportation, healthcare, and other locations.
This new vision for travel in Rhode Island would benefit not only the system’s current users but also attract a new generation of users who value transportation choice and convenience. Ultimately, reliable transportation and livable, walkable communities are needs that all Rhode Islanders can relate to; our families, our industries, and our economy depend on them. On Tuesday, remember these key facts about Question 6:
✓ It increases the accessibility of transportation, increasing access to health care facilities and other locations.
✓ Improved mass transit will reduce congestion on our roads, making commutes quick and safer
✓ Funding will allow Rhode Island to leverage infrastructure funding from federal and private partners.
✓ Improvement to the transit system will lead to more jobs and economic development.
Rhode Island deserves a 21st Century mass transit system. Create job opportunities and increase economic development by passing Question 6!
Tags: 2014BallotInitiatives, infrastructure, surface transportation
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Maximizing the Investment in Transportation Projects
October 1st, 2014 | By: Becky Moylan
ASCE teamed with the Eno Center for Transportation to author Maximizing the Value of Investments Using Life Cycle Cost Analysis. The report, released yesterday at a Capitol Hill briefing, surveyed industry practitioners and policymakers on their current use of life cycle cost analysis (LCCA), and their beliefs on what role it should play in the decision-making process. It also features six case studies that demonstrate the benefits of implementing LCCA. While almost all those surveyed said it should be part of the process, only 59% said it was currently being used.
Greg Nadeau, Beth Osborne, Joshua Schank (Eno), Pat Natale (ASCE), and Chris Stone all offered their perspectives on the value of LCCA. Photo by Neshan H. Naltchayan
Tags: infrastructure investment, LCCA, life cycle cost analysis, life cycle costs, surface transportation, transportation
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This Week in Infrastructure: The House Approves a Highway Trust Fund Patch
July 18th, 2014 | By: Becky Moylan
On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed a short-term bill to keep the Highway Trust Fund up and running until May 2015. While Democrats were hesitant about the proposal, ultimately the bill passed with bipartisan support, 367-55. In a statement commenting on its passage, ASCE reiterated the need for a long-term, sustainable funding solution. A wide variety of groups urged Congress in a letter to “avoid the immediate transportation cliff and improve the long-term fiscal condition of the Highway Trust Fund.”. The diverse list of co-signers, from the National Retail Federation to the civil rights organization NAACP, and ASCE to Smart Growth America, underscores the potential detriment of inaction. Meanwhile, newspaper editorial boards continue to rally around the idea to increase the gas tax. Most notably this week The New York Times and Bloomberg offered compelling arguments for raising the user fee to ensure it has the buying power of the 2014 dollar. Even comedian Jon Stewart of The Daily Show weighed in with his views on the subject. The White House also focused much of its week on infrastructure investment, releasing a report to support its Rebuild America campaign.Good infrastructure has a ripple effect: Job creation ✓ Less road congestion ✓ More reliable travel times ✓ pic.twitter.com/dhzBo2Whfp
— Vice President Biden (@VP) July 15, 2014
On Thursday, President Obama visited Delaware’s I-495 bridge to announce the administration’s new public-private partnership funding initiative, the Build America Transportation Investment Center. This “one-stop shop” will connect state and local governments with private financing options.
This week the media discussed the Highway Trust Fund frequently, and the topic will likely remain in the headlines into next week as the Senate prepares to act on a program extension. Therefore, there is still much work to be doing to #FixtheTrustFund. Join that effort by contacting Congress now and encouraging long-term, sustainable legislation.
Tags: gas tax, highway trust fund, P3s, surface transportation
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ASCE Statement on the Build America Investment Initiative
July 17th, 2014 | By: Becky Moylan
Washington, D.C. — The following is a statement from Randall (Randy) S. Over, P.E., F.ASCE, president, ASCE on the Build America Investment Initiative: “Today’s action by President Obama to launch the Build America Investment Initiative comes at a critical time as we witness Congress still debating how to provide a long-term, sustainable solution to the federal Highway Trust Fund. While private sector financing can by no means replace public funding, states and localities urgently need all of the best tools available to provide transportation solutions for their communities. “The newly-created Build America Transportation Investment Center can play a vital role in sharing best public-private partnerships (P3s) practices and encouraging more states to utilize P3s to a greater degree, thereby creating a more robust U.S. market and attracting private sector investment in our nation’s transportation infrastructure. “ASCE looks forward to working with the Obama Administration to positively implement this action in the coming weeks and months. ASCE supports a comprehensive funding and financing program for operating, maintaining, and improving the nation’s transportation system, which includes P3s, infrastructure banks, bonding and other innovative financing mechanisms. If utilized appropriately, these financing mechanisms can help leverage available transportation funding and play an important role in delivering projects and managing assets effectively.”###
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. For more information, visit www.asce.org.Tags: ASCE, bridges, Build America Investment Initative, congress, highway trust fund, infrastructure, P3s, roads, surface transportation, White House
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ASCE Statement on the House Plan to Maintain the Highway Trust Fund for Only 9 More Months
July 15th, 2014 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
Washington, D.C. —The following is a statement from Patrick Natale, P.E., Executive Director of The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) on the passage of H.R. 5021 in the U.S. House of Representatives: “Today, the U.S. House of Representatives averted an immediate economic disaster by addressing the impending insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund. Regrettably, their efforts also created a new, looming disaster next May. Punting on America’s infrastructure deficit will not fix the problem, and in fact will only create greater economic uncertainty. Congress needs to get serious about America’s future rather than creating more unnecessary turmoil. “America’s businesses, laborers, engineers, and manufacturers have been urging Congress for well over a year to find a long-term, sustainable solution to our country’s surface transportation issues. States and cities cannot plan for the future if funding is only going to be approved on a crisis by crisis basis. Imagine the challenges of building your home if you were unaware of where your money was coming from or when you could use it—that is the current case for America’s infrastructure. “The band-aid put on the Highway Trust Fund today ensures that we must limp along rather than take proactive steps to create a solid economic foundation. By maintaining current funding, we are solidifying funding levels that have given the U.S. an infrastructure grade of D+ in ASCE’s Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. Does Congress not think America deserves better than a barely passing grade? “This moment is the best opportunity in a generation to solve America’s infrastructure deficit. Now is the time for a renewed investment in our nation’s infrastructure. We need bipartisan leadership from Congress and the White House to pass a long-term, reliable funding solution that will give states and cities the ability to plan for the future.”###
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. For more information, visit www.asce.org.
Tags: ASCE, bridges, congress, highway trust fund, roads, surface transportation, transportation
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ASCE Statement on the Senate EPW Committee’s Proposed Transportation Bill
May 14th, 2014 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
Washington, D.C. —The following is a statement from Randall (Randy) S. Over, P.E., President of The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) on the bipartisan Senate Environment & Public Works Committee’s newly proposed MAP-21 Reauthorization legislation: “The proposed MAP-21 reauthorization legislation from Chairman Boxer and Senator Vitter is yet another positive step to improve our economy and raise the grades on the nation’s surface transportation infrastructure. While the proposed long-term bill is encouraging, whether or not it becomes law rests entirely in the hands of Congress. Senators Boxer and Vitter know that American families and businesses need a long-term transportation bill to provide the certainty they are looking for. The question remains whether Congress will assure economic certainty, or discard this new proposal for a short-term bill that will only hurt our ability to plan for the future. “Senator Boxer’s proposal continues a lot of the positive work we saw under MAP-21. We must continue to increase project flexibility and accelerate projects for delivery. The more efficient and effective we can be, the greater the opportunity for raising our nation’s infrastructure grades. Likewise, we must continue to focus on how we can increase movement of goods by modernizing the investments of the past for a new economy. “ASCE has been saying for months that we must fix this problem immediately with a long-term, sustainable revenue solution in order to keep America competitive. “Regrettably, while the bill may reflect political realities, it does not go far enough in addressing our country’s investment gap. By maintaining our current funding levels, we are maintaining America’s D+ infrastructure grades. ASCE’s Report Card for America’s Infrastructure shows that our nation needs a renewed investment strategy for a new century.“We applaud the leadership exhibited by Senators Boxer and Vitter to start the discussion to solve this problem. Now the question becomes: how are we going to pay for it? ASCE supports an all options on the table approach to addressing the insolvency crisis with the Highway Trust Fund. Our challenges are too vast and the costs are too great for us to continue with the status-quo. America’s economy cannot afford for the Highway Trust Fund to become insolvent—now is the time for action.”
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. For more information, visit www.asce.org.#####
Tags: congress, highway trust fund, senate, surface transportation
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This Week in Infrastructure: Winter Weather Gets People Thinking About the Cost of Underinvestment
February 21st, 2014 | By: Becky Moylan
Perhaps between Disney’s box office hit Frozen and the Sochi Olympics you feel as though you’re living in a winter wonderland. Or perhaps it’s because you actually are, given this year’s record snowfall in cities across the country. In addition to the snow days and need for shovels and boots, this winter has done a number on roads across the country. Cities are running out of salt, pothole-dodging could be an Olympic sport, and finding places to mound all that snow is proving a challenge. This all comes as state DOTs are already worried about funding as the Highway Trust Fund is on a path to insolvency. The weather’s impact doesn’t end with Americans’ commutes. The electric grid has also taken a hard hit, with tens of thousands still without power in Georgia and South Carolina. The cold weather has also ravaged pipes, including in Iowa, where there has been a record number of water main breaks in the past six weeks. As all of these problems become more than the sum of their parts—especially true as infrastructure works as a system—this piece in a California paper asks if “our nation can handle freaky weather?” Meanwhile, West Virginia’s chemical spill last month continues to draw concerns about the safety of drinking water across the country. The weather’s impact on infrastructure (and the media attention surrounding it) has certainly shown the need for funding and attention for our nation’s roads, electric grid, water pipes, and much more.Tags: Drinking Water, Electric Grid, highway trust fund, surface transportation, transportation
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This Week in Infrastructure: The Need for Funding
February 14th, 2014 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
Several states are responding to the impending reality that this fall the Highway Trust Fund “will have insufficient revenues to meet obligations” unless a sustainable revenue source is found. Among those voicing concerns is Tennessee. As a precaution, TDOT prepared two 2015 budgets: one with federal funding, budgeting $1.8 billion and another without, budgeting $900 million. Minnesota also grappled with the transportation funding gap through a hearing that included testimony from ASCE’s own Brian Pallasch, who spoke on the consequences of underinvestment. Delaware Gov. Markell proposed an increase to the gas tax that would be tied to inflation. Though it was met with criticism from the state legislature, this editorial aptly points out highways don’t pay for themselves. Idaho’s Transportation Department’s Scott Stokes warned that the state relies heavily on federal funding for its department’s budget. Stokes predicted “At current funding levels [bridges] will have to last 120 years, two to three times their expected life,” given the current funding trajectory. Michigan is facing a more immediate funding crisis, due to the frequent snowfall. To put it into perspective, snowplows were needed on the southwest part of the state’s roads for 67 straight days, a doubly costly endeavor because money is needed to fund the plowing and to repair the roads afterward. The Daily Iowan called to raise the state’s gas tax in an editorial, explaining the “tax would generate $230 million annually, money that can be used to substantially upgrade Iowa’s roadways and would close the state’s $215 million annual shortfall in road funds.” On the federal level, Ohio Reps. Tim Ryan and Dave Joyce, called upon their colleagues to revitalize infrastructure and create jobs in the process. The U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held a hearing Wednesday to consider the best funding options for the Highway Trust Fund. Sen. Boxer said her goal is to have a “five- or six-year bill.” This week demonstrates the need for a sustainable funding source is gaining attention. Now the next step is finding a solution and taking action.Tags: highway trust fund, Idaho, infrastructure, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, surface transportation, Tennessee, transportation
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Meet IP3, the New P3 Where Citizens Are the Owners
December 19th, 2013 | By: Infrastructure Report Card
If you follow the infrastructure financing debate about how America is going to fund our future infrastructure needs, you have probably heard the term P3 or public-private partnership discussed as an innovative financing structure to utilize private investment in public infrastructure. However, with the release of the American Enterprise Institute’s new report, Road Pricing and Asset Publicization,” there is a new angle for the debate – the investment public-private partnership (IP3).
So what exactly is this IP3? Here’s how the report’s authors explain it: “The IP3 recognizes that you not the federal government or a private company—own roads that have already been built. And it offers you an annual payment for investing in them…. Under an IP3, a private company pays a public partner (like a state) a large upfront cash payment (called a concession) for the right to operate and collect toll revenue from an existing road network for a certain period of time. The IP3 locks away most of that concession payment—and most of the toll revenue—in a protected investment fund that pays an annual dividend to all households in the newly priced region. That helps offset the additional costs they will face from tolls, while recognizing that citizens are the true owners of the roads.”
America’s roads are definitely in need of repair so the more new ideas that are debated that’s all the better including P3s, gas tax changes and fixes, and all the others. While P3s are only one potential solution among the many, one thing is for certain – it’s time to start debating before the Highway Trust Fund is broke and many states lose half of their highway and bridge funding.
Tags: bridges, infrastructure, infrastructure report card, P3, roads, surface transportation, transportation
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