Infrastructure in the News: Transit, Aviation
April 1st, 2016 | By: Olivia Wolfertz
Massive transit repairs, aviation reform and increased desire for innovation mark this week’s infrastructure headlines. After discussion about the D.C. subway system’s much-needed maintenance, Metro’s top officials warned the public that they may shut down entire rail lines for as long as six months. While this situation could cause inconvenience and frustration, it stands as another in a very long list of examples of the need to invest in our nation’s infrastructure. Chicago’s transit authority underwent a similar reconstruction in 2014, shutting down their red line for five months, where they invested $425 million into rebuilding 10.2 miles of rail. This ultimately resulted in increased ridership and shaved off travel time for riders. It is encouraging that transit authorities are taking time to address these issues. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported on Monday that U.S. airlines and foreign airlines serving the U.S. carried an all-time high number of passengers in 2015. It is critical, therefore, that our airports are prepared to support this growing number of passengers. The Senate Commerce Committee is making steady progress on a potential bipartisan version of FAA reauthorization legislation. When the Senate returns next week, it could be among the legislation considered by the full chamber. While maintenance for transit, aviation and our roads and bridges may not be as glamorous as new innovations, it is critical to remember that existing infrastructure needs to be coupled with new innovations. For example, self-driving cars are reportedly having issues driving on our beleaguered roads, and in some cases are unable to operate because they can’t recognize the faded road markings. It is important that all levels of government demonstrate leadership and look for ways to ensure that our aging infrastructure gets the investment it warrants nationwide.Infrastructure in the News: Transit issues escalate, water needs rise
March 25th, 2016 | By: Olivia Wolfertz
The past two weeks have been packed with infrastructure crises and attention—as our nation’s water and transit have received both media attention and public scrutiny. Last week, the nation’s second busiest subway system, the D.C. Metro, shut down for one full day in order to undergo thorough inspection due to electrical malfunctions. CBS reported that Metro identified 26 areas where damaged jumper cables and connector boots exist. The abundance of damaged cables reveal a lack of investment. “We need to invest in our system once and for all. We need to establish the dedicated funding source,” said Jack Evans, Metro chair. While the D.C. metro’s maintenance needs are pressing, this is just one example of transit needs nationwide. The BART System in San Francisco also experienced service disruptions that led to a flurry of frustrated tweets from users. BART decided to explain that the system, built more than 40 years ago, was not designed to carry the number of passengers who take it today. The Twitter handle went on to highlight the need to increase investment in order to allow the system to function at its best. Aside from transit woes, our nation’s water infrastructure needs remain in the headlines. March 22 was World Water Day, where the White House and 150 other institutions pledged more than $5 billion to improve water accessibility and quality across the nation. The recent Flint tragedy reminds us just how important water is to our communities—and yet how fragile our nation’s water infrastructure is. CNBC reported that our water crises goes beyond Flint, and EPA data shows that only nine states are reporting safe levels of lead in their water supply. The Hill reported on the condition of our nation’s water infrastructure, showing how drinking water contamination, water scarcity, and beleaguered ports and waterways make water one of the nation’s most critical issues. Whether it’s transit or water issues, the common denominator behind these pressing needs is lack of investment. On ABC’s television show “Scandal” Thursday night, character Mellie Grant even made reference to the need to increase investment through the gas tax to #FixTheTrustFund. It is important that all levels of government demonstrate leadership and look for ways to ensure the maximum funding possible for our aging infrastructure nationwide.Department of Transportation Celebrates 50 Years of Safety Innovation
February 8th, 2016 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
Established by President Lyndon Johnson, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is now celebrating 50 years of making transportation safer for the traveling public. This month marked the 50th anniversary, where USDOT Secretary Anthony Foxx and six former USDOT Secretaries gathered together in D.C. to share the changes they’ve seen in transportation since the department began. When asked what the most significant advancement in transportation was, all pointed to safety efforts and innovations – whether adding seat belts, eliminating drug abuse, or enhancing the operation of transportation systems. In 50 years, we’ve come a long way, and we’re looking forward to where the next 50 years take us.D.C. Infrastructure Report Card Gives C- Overall, Lowest Grade to Levees
January 14th, 2016 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
The 2016 Report Card for D.C.’s Infrastructure is an independent review of the current state of infrastructure needs, capability and funding in D.C. by the National Capital Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers. The Report Card was written over the past year by ASCE members from the D.C. region who assigned the grades according to the following eight criteria: capacity, condition, funding, future need, operation and maintenance, public safety, resilience, and innovation. The report grades the infrastructure assets and is not a reflection of the agencies and professionals who work every day to solve infrastructure issues. It is a tool that shows the condition and importance of D.C.’s vital infrastructure assets that support our daily life or can interrupt our lives if we don’t maintain them. To put it another way, if you drive or ride in D.C., if you drink the water or flush a toilet in D.C., or if you just want infrastructure that works – this Report Card is for you. In the 2016 Report Card for D.C.’s Infrastructure, ASCE assessed 11 categories of infrastructure and found that 3 of them earned poor D grades, 6 earned mediocre C grades, and 2 earned B grades. Levees earned the lowest grade in the Report Card at a D-. Levees protect the capitol area from flooding as well as the Anacostia Bolling base, and both have earned “Unacceptable” ratings creating a need for emergency repairs and an additional $5 million would be needed to finish the work to protect the capitol area. Transit received a D grade due primarily to the condition of Metro system and the safety implications of a lack of consistent funding and focus on maintenance. While bright spots exist with new Metrobuses, Circulator bus success, and an innovative Capital Bikeshare, with 85% of D.C.’s commuters using Metro, it should be clear that this should be a priority not only in D.C. but also for each stakeholder in this system. While we know D.C. Roads are congested, the D+ grade for roads is in large part due to DDOT needing 4 times its current maintenance budget. For every dollar of need, there’s only a quarter to spend. School facilities earned a grade of C- with more than 49 schools reporting at least one “poor” condition structural element, impacting more than 14,000 students. However, almost half of D.C. schools have been modernized which show a tremendous leap in the right direction and a clear investment in D.C.’s future. Energy earned a C with $3 billion needed for electricity upgrades and $650 million need to replace 50-year old natural gas pipelines. Both water and wastewater were given grades of C+. With pipes’ median age being about 79 years old, we shouldn’t be surprised that there are 400 to 550 pipe breaks each year, but we’re starting to replace 1% per year and renew the clean drinking water infrastructure residents use. Wastewater work is happening right now to expand the capacity of our system that will not only prevent neighborhood flooding but improve the quality of the Anacostia River. Solid Waste earned a grade of C+. Our city’s growth is requiring an increase of trucks to take away our waste. While 10% more of it is recycled than a decade ago, we still need to make progress to reach the long-term goal of 45%. We have more Parks per person in D.C. than almost any place in the U.S. yet 50% of D.C.’s open spaces have challenges leading to a C+ grade. Rail received a B- grade due to the significant private investment of CSX in their rail infrastructure and the Virginia Avenue Rail Tunnel allowing 400,000 freight carloads to pass through D.C. While more capacity is need for rail and passengers, future plans being set today could serve D.C.’s needs and improve our congestion. Finally, D.C. Bridges received a B-, one of the highest grades, showing tremendous progress in reducing the structurally deficient bridges from 8% to 3% in just 3 years. The future will require consistent maintenance of older bridges reaching the end of their lifespan, but improvements like this show that diligent management, maintenance, and investment together create the changes we need to see. The Report Card shows us the condition and needs in a letter grade, but what is very clear when you read this report is that innovative solutions to our challenges, like DC Water’s Clean Rivers Project, are going to shape D.C.’s future if we let them. Yes, we have infrastructure challenges, but there are solutions to each of them and some are already on the way and some we need to support to make reality. We’re also going to need to get back to the basics – maintenance needs to be as essential to our budgets as water for hot coffee in the morning. With innovation and maintenance, we can prepare for the future and modernize the infrastructure that will serve us and future generations.Read the full 2016 Report Card for D.C.’s Infrastructure.
FAST Act Summary Part Three: Transit
December 14th, 2015 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
This is the third in a series of summaries over the next few weeks on the contents of the newly-passed five-year federal surface transportation authorization law, Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. The first part explored the law’s funding and the future fiscal health of the Highway Trust Fund. The second part described the highway program elements of the law. The final forthcoming section will focus on the policy changes to federal passenger rail programs. The FAST Act provides $305 billion for highway, transit and railway programs. Of that, $60 billion is for transit, which represents an 18% increase in public transportation funding over the law’s five-year duration. Most of the percentage bump in transit investment will occur in the first year with the program seeing an immediate nine percent increase. Here is what the transit investment levels look like over the life of the bill:- (Pre-FAST Act) Fiscal Year (FY) 2015: $10.7 billion
- (Post-FAST Act) FY16: $11.8 billion
- FY17: $12 billion
- FY18: $12.2 billion
- FY19: $12.4 billion
- FY20: $12.6 billion
- Creates a new Bus and Bus Facility Discretionary grant program to address capital investment. This program is funded at $268 million in the first year, rising to $344 million in the last year. The program also includes a 10 percent rural set-aside and a cap that no more than 10 percent of all grant funds can be given to a single grantee;
- Creates an expedited project delivery pilot program in the Capital Investment Grant program for projects with less than 25 percent federal funding and those which are supported through public-private partnerships;
- Focuses on the need to address resilience in state and local planning by urging a reduction on the natural disaster vulnerability of existing transportation infrastructure;
- Directs USDOT to review the safety standards and protocols used in public transportation. The Secretary will then evaluate the need to establish additional federal minimum public transit safety standards; and
- Makes $199 million available to assist in funding the installation of Positive Train Control (PTC) safety technology.
Alabama’s Infrastructure Grades Are In
December 10th, 2015 | By: Becky Moylan
The inaugural Report Card for Alabama’s Infrastructure, released today, reveals that Alabama’s aging infrastructure needs attention, especially its dams. As the only state without a dam safety program, Alabama does not have a complete inventory of all the dams in the state. Without this, Alabama is unaware of its dam safety risk. At the last survey in the 1980s, 147 high hazard dams were found and do not have Emergency Action Plans. Because of the unknowns surrounding Alabama’s dams, the Report Card graded it an “Incomplete,” signified by a question mark to demonstrate the uncertainty caused by of a lack of inventory and dam safety program.
With a cumulative grade point average of “C-,”Alabama’s infrastructure is only as strong as its weakest link. All of the highest grades are linked to the lowest grades in the report, as infrastructure works as a system. Plans and funding to address the state’s aging infrastructure assets fall significantly short of needs. Of note:
- Only an estimated 2% of all known dams in Alabama are being inspected for safety, maintained, and have emergency action plans in place for use in the case of an incident or failure. Without a dam safety program, communities that live under dams may not be aware of their risk, and emergency action plans for high hazard dams may not be in place to mitigate property damage and save lives in the case of a breach or failure.
- The majority of the state’s drinking water infrastructure was installed from the 1960s to the 1980s and operating beyond their useful design life.
- 1 in 3 wastewater utility providers statewide report having inadequate rate structures to cover normal operating expenses.
- Septic systems are commonly used in more rural parts of Alabama; 25% of the estimated 850,000 on-site septic systems are in failing or failed condition and could be polluting the community’s groundwater.
- Alabama has 1,388 structurally deficient bridges, ranking 15th most in the country, with many of these being bridges funded and maintained locally.
- Nearly 50% of interstate and state highways are in fair, poor, or very poor condition. Driving on rough and congested roads costs the average Alabama driver at least $300 a year in extra vehicle repairs.
- Much of the inland waterway lock and dam infrastructure within the state is breaking down and has passed the 50 year design service life or is approaching it. As an example, Coffeeville Lock and Dam has a throughput of 10 million tons in spite of vessel delay rates and durations in excess of 90% and 150 hours.
- Finish the dams inventory and pass legislation to create a dam safety program, establish emergency action plans, and use periodic safety inspections to keep communities safe.
- Prioritize routine maintenance to save money and prevent emergency repairs across all infrastructure types.
- Increase replacement of structurally deficient bridges, which are mostly owned and operated locally.
- Create state funding strategies that recognize the importance of functional drinking water, stormwater, and sewer infrastructure to support the economic development of Alabama.
FAST Act Summary Part One: The Funding
December 6th, 2015 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
This is the first in a series of summaries over the next few weeks on the contents of the newly-passed five-year federal surface transportation authorization law, Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. The next sections will focus on the policy changes to highways, transit and federal passenger rail programs. The backbone of federal transportation funding is the motor fuels tax, and those revenues are deposited in the protected Highway Trust Fund (HTF). Taxes on gasoline and diesel fuels for cars, trucks and motorcycles, have been levied for many decades, however the last time that the tax rate was raised was in 1993 — over 20 years ago. Since that time, federal spending on highways and transit programs has risen and the purchasing power of those dollars, as a result of rising construction and materials costs, has gone down. While the newly-passed five-year federal surface transportation authorization law, Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, increased investment, it did not pay for these funding increases through a gas tax hike. Instead, the law relied on a variety of items unrelated to transportation, specifically two large offsets dealing with the Federal Reserve (Fed). OFFSETS The first Fed offset is one that was heavily opposed by banks. The provision would reduce what was a six percent annual dividend paid to banks on Fed stock that they bought when becoming members of the Federal Reserve system. The reduction would impact banks with over $10 billion in assets and cut the stock dividend pay-out to match the interest rate of the highest-yield 10-year Treasury note, which would likely be around two percent. This provision raises nearly $6 billion for the FAST Act. The second Fed-related offset is the largest one contained in the FAST Act and applies to the Feds capital surplus accounts. The Fed regional banks maintain various amounts of surplus cash, which added together amounts to $29 billion. The FAST Act takes $19 billion from this account and leaves a $10 billion surplus cushion at the Fed. However, due to Congressional budget scoring procedures the amount of money actually raised for FAST Act by doing this $19 billion draw-down is about $53 billion because Congress adds up all of the money that would have been in the account over a ten-year budget horizon. Added together, these and other offsets amount to around $70 billion in new money for the HTF over the five-year life of the FAST Act. This means that at the end of the FAST Act the HTF will have received over $140 billion in general fund transfer since it began experiencing fiscal trouble in 2008. This also means that by the end of the FAST Act gas taxes and other transportation-related revenues will only be providing half of the dollars necessary to support investment levels, which could complicate the policy process in numerous untold ways. For example, members of Congress may then ask: “Why should this program only fund roads and transit systems (which has historically been the case) if roads users and transit riders are no longer the funding basis of a large amount of the program’s revenues?” FUNDING LEVELS The FAST Act provides $305 billion for highway, transit and railway programs. Of that, $233 billion is for highways, $49 billion is for transit and $10 billion is dedicated to federal passenger rail. By the end of the bill’s five-year duration, highway investment would rise by 15%, transit funding would grow by nearly 18%, and federal passenger rail investment would remain flat. Most of the percentage bump in investment will increase immediately with highways seeing a five percent jump and transit receiving a nine percent jump in the first year. The funding then sees relatively flat, two percent annual growth. The bill actually provides higher levels of funding than the Senate-passed DRIVE Act would have, by over $680 million cumulative over the life of the bill. The bill also contains a HTF contract authority rescission of $7.5 billion at the end of the bill (September 30, 2020). This rescission would mean that states will have to return a certain amount of unobligated highway contract authority to FHWA. It is likely that states will soon plan their programs accordingly to be able to minimize the impact of this final-year budget cut. Rescissions have become common in surface transportation authorization bills as a way to bring down spending levels at the end of the law, which helps reduce the overall cost of the program for Congressional budget scoring purposes. There will likely be an effort in 2020 to eliminate or delay the implementation of the rescission. The last rescission to take effect was for $8.7 billion in 2009. Here are some funding highlights for highway and transit programs: HIGHWAYS- National Highway Performance Program: annual increases of nearly $500 million;
- Surface Transportation Program: first-year increase of $1 billion and nearly $200 million on top of that annually thereafter;
- Highway Safety Improvement Program: slight increase of $50 million annually;
- Congestion Mitigation & Air Quality Program: $50 million increase in the first-year and slight increase thereafter;
- TIFIA Program: heavy annual reduction from $1 billion per year to $275 million – $300 million annually throughout the bill;
- Highway Research & Development Program: slight increase, however new eligibilities added:
- $15 million annual Surface Transportation Funding Alternatives Studies program; and
- $10 million annual Performance Management Data Support program.
- (NEW) National Highway Freight Program: approximately $1.2 billion annually; and
- (NEW) Nationally-Significant Freight & Highways Projects Program: approximately $900 million annually.
- Formula and Bus Grants: $800 million increase in the first year and $200 million on top of that annually thereafter. Within that:
- $90 million annual increase for Urbanized Area Formula Grants;
- (NEW) $28 million for Research & Development Demonstration and Deployment grant (existing FTA R&D program reduced by $50 million annually);
- State of Good Repair: first-year $350 million increase and $40 million on top of that annual increase thereafter;
- (NEW) Bus and Bus Facility Discretionary program: approximately $300 million annually; and
- (NEW) Fast Growth and High Density program: approximately $550 million annually.
- Capital Investment Grants: Initial $400 million funding increase which sustains for life of the bill; and
- Positive Train Control Grants: $200 million provided in fiscal year 2017.
Obama Set to Sign 5 Year, $305 Billion Transportation Bill
December 4th, 2015 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate both approved a five-year, $305 billion highway, transit and railway authorization bill. The overwhelming, bipartisan vote was 359-65 in the House and 83-16 in the Senate. President Obama is expected to sign the bill into law later on today. Thank you, infrastructure supporters, for contacting your members of Congress, which certainly helped secure this victory!
In the run-up to the vote, ASCE leadership urged adoption of the legislation known as the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. The FAST Act provides nearly $233 billion for highways, $49 billion for transit and $10 billion federal passenger rail. By the end of the bill’s five-year duration, highway investment would rise by 15% and transit spending would grow by nearly 18%. The FAST Act is the longest surface transportation authorization bill since the enactment of a previous five-year bill in 2005.
The bill includes:
- Creation of a dedicated $1.25 billion freight program to help ensure federal investments are targeted at improving U.S. economic competitiveness;
- Providing $900 million per year for large-scale projects under a new, nationally-significant freight and highways program;
- Cutting the TIFIA program from $1 billion annually to around $300 million per year. TIFIA helps leverage billions of dollars in private sector capital for investment in our nation’s infrastructure;
- Innovation initiatives, such as establishing a national program to explore surface transportation funding alternatives to the fuels tax; and
- Investment in transit by creating a new research and deployment program, increasing funds for fixed guideways, and establishing a new bus facility program.
Conference Committee Meets on Highway & Transit Bill
November 19th, 2015 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
Yesterday, the joint House & Senate conference committee on the surface transportation authorization legislation met in what will likely be its only public meeting before the looming December 4 deadline to finalize work on a bill. The conference committee chairman, Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA) kicked-off the meeting by stating, “There is plenty of common ground between the [House & Senate] proposals to allow us to reach an agreement that both [chambers] can willingly support.” The lead House Democrat on the committee, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), underscored the importance of achieving an increase in overall funding in the final bill. “I’m hopeful to get higher levels of spending on an annual basis and if funds are so limited that we have to reduce the term of the bill, it’s an option I think should be looked at,” said DeFazio. The committee announced a timetable to final action on a bill, which includes finalizing the conference agreement by November 30 and having a House vote on the bill by the December 4 deadline. It remains to be seen whether the Senate will be able to act before the December 4 target or if they will need a week extension to approve the legislation and present it to President Obama for his signature. Either way, all members of the committee seem hopeful that a final agreement will be reached very soon and that they can craft a measure that will receive the necessary votes in both the House and Senate to be signed by the president. ASCE, along with other groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, believes a five-year program that includes significant funding increases, rather than a six-year bill that only maintains the status quo, should be the final goal of the conference committee. That sort of legislative package will help create jobs and grow the economy in the years ahead.Tell Congress to Go Big on Transportation
November 17th, 2015 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
The House and Senate are currently meeting to decide a big question when it comes to the future of the nation’s surface transportation program: Should funding levels be increased in order to improve and modernize the nation’s roads, bridges and transit system, or should funding levels stay flat for the next six years while the conditions of our aging infrastructure only further deteriorate? ASCE’s answer is pretty clear in a letter we sent to Capitol Hill today: Congress has the means and capability to increase funding levels and they should not squander this opportunity.
While we disagree with his hesitancy to hold a vote in the House on increasing the federal motor fuels tax – the correct way to fund the current highway and transit bill – credit goes to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) for working to include a provision in the House bill that provides an additional $40 billion to the program. ASCE, along with other groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, believes that the additional money should go towards crafting a five-year program that includes significant funding increases, rather than a six-year bill that only maintains the status quo.
Status quo funding:
• Is what results in our nation’s roads and transit systems receiving a “D” grade and our bridges receiving a “C+”;
• Costs the average American family $1,060 per year each year until at least 2020 due to inadequate roads, bridges and transit systems; and
• Will cost the American economy more than 876,000 jobs, and suppress the growth of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by $897 billion in 2020.
Funding increases would allow the House and Senate to produce a bill that would:
• Maintain a strong TIFIA program that can help leverage billions of dollars in private sector capital for investment in our nation’s infrastructure;
• Create a dedicated freight program to help ensure federal investments are targeted at improving U.S. economic competitiveness;
• Improve innovation, which is vital to extending the life cycle of infrastructure assets and making our transportation infrastructure more efficient; and
• Deliver some of the major infrastructure projects that have currently been sitting on the sidelines due to a lack of funding.
The time is now to send a message to Congress regarding the need for increased investment. Call your House member and Senators, and use the hashtag #FixTheTrustFund on social media to urge them to increase funding for transportation in the coming days.
