AFSCME Information Highway

Source: Brookings Institution, Opportunity 08, April 28, 2008

From the summary:
On April 28, the Brookings Institution's Opportunity 08 project hosted U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters for a discussion of America's transportation infrastructure. Secretary Peters focused on the challenges facing the nation's transportation network, and how local, state and national leaders can take advantage of new technology and approaches to unleash a new wave of transportation investments in this country.

Watch the video

Posted by Info Center at 5:29 PM in Infrastructure | Transportation | Permalink

Source: Intergovernmental Forum on Transportation Finance, January 2008

From the press release:
WASHINGTON, March 12 --
The gap between America's surface transportation needs and the financial resources required to bridge them is large, immediate and long-term, according to a report released by state and local government groups. All levels of government must work together to set system-performance goals and provide the financial means to meet those goals, the report concluded.

Posted by Info Center at 4:44 PM in Intergovernmental Relations | State & Local Finance | Transportation | Permalink

Source: GAO Reports, GAO-08-400, March 2007

From the summary:
Surface transportation programs need to be reexamined in the context of the nation's current unsustainable fiscal path. Surface transportation programs are particularly ready for review as the Highway Trust Fund faces a fiscal imbalance at a time when both congestion and travel demand are growing. As you requested, this report (1) provides an overview of the federal role in surface transportation and the goals and structures of federal programs, (2) summarizes GAO's conclusions about the structure and performance of these programs, and (3) provides principles to assess options for focusing future surface transportation programs. GAO's study is based on prior GAO reports, stakeholder reports and interviews, Department of Transportation documents, and the views of transportation experts.

See also:
Highlights

Posted by Info Center at 3:19 PM in Transportation | Permalink

Source: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), Press release, January 30, 2008

State transportation departments could award and begin more than 3,000 highway projects totaling approximately $18 billion within 30-90 days from enactment of federal economic stimulus legislation, according to a survey by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
...
The survey, conducted this week at the request of Congressional committees who are at work on the stimulus effort, drew responses from 47 of AASHTO's members, including the District of Columbia. The state-by-state response is attached.
Press release includes chart.

Posted by Info Center at 4:32 PM in Economy | Transportation | Permalink

Source: National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission, December 2007

Over the next half-century, the U.S. is projected to add 150 million new residents, a 50 percent increase over its current population. This growing society will demand higher levels of goods and services, and will rely on the transportation system to access them. In turn, this will cause travel to grow at an even greater rate than the population.

As part of an increasingly integrated global economy, the U.S. will see greater pressures on its international gateways and domestic freight distribution network to deliver products and materials to where they are needed. The Nation is faced with a massive increase in passenger and freight travel.

The Nation's surface transportation program has reached a crossroads. Will it continue to function as it has since the completion of the Interstate system, pursuing no discernible national interests other than the political imperatives of "donor State" rights and congressional earmarking? Or will it advance concerted actions to confront the transportation challenges facing the Nation that have reached crisis proportions--the deferred maintenance of its basic infrastructure; the burgeoning international trade and its impact on our road and rail networks; the traffic congestion that is crippling metropolitan America; the continued carnage on the Nation's highways; and powering cars and trucks with fossil fuels, much of which is imported from foreign countries?

Posted by Info Center at 5:11 PM in Transportation | Permalink

States are poised to spend billions on fixing infrastructure. They might want to fix the construction industry first.
Source: ZACH PATTON, Governing, November 2007

...That's a big problem because in the aftermath of the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis, states are poised to make some big infrastructure investments. As that calamity made clear, many of America's roadways, bridges and tunnels are in critical condition after decades of deferred maintenance. In some places, the needs are especially pressing. Massachusetts needs to spend $17 billion on repairs, according to one report. In Pennsylvania, the tab for bridge maintenance is $11 billion. In New Jersey, it's more than $13.5 billion. Overall, the American Society of Civil Engineers gives the nation's infrastructure system a grade of "D," and the group says that fixing the country's existing problems is a job with a $1.6 trillion price tag.

As states redouble their efforts on maintenance, the trick will be to produce more successful projects such as the MacArthur Maze and fewer tarnished ones along the lines of the Benicia-Martinez Bridge. It won't be easy. Issues of cost overruns and missed deadlines have plagued construction projects for years. And transportation departments will continue to deal with a construction industry that is, in many ways, antiquated, inefficient and wasteful. Minnesota, still shaking off the shock of seeing a key transportation asset crumble into the Mississippi River, is now grappling with its replacement cost soaring toward $400 million. That's 57 percent higher than the amount the federal government set aside for the bridge. And construction hasn't even begun yet.

Posted by Info Center at 1:46 PM in Infrastructure | Transportation | Permalink

Source: Matt Sundeen, State Legislatures, October/November 2007

http://www.ncsl.org/magazine/07SLOctNov07_Bridge.pdf

The catastrophic collapse of the I-35 bridge over the Mississippi River in August sent shockwaves that reverberated well beyond the immediate vicinity of Minneapolis-St. Paul. The deteriorating condition of the country's network of highways, bridges and rail lines is a problem that has long concerned transportation experts. For most, the bridge collapse was a call-to-action to fund overdue improvements and fix the nation's aging transportation infrastructure. Although many federal, state and local lawmakers agree repairs are needed, what the appropriate response should be continues to be a matter for debate.

Posted by Info Center at 1:44 PM in Infrastructure | Transportation | Permalink

Source: Robert Puentes, Brookings Institution, Metropolitan Policy Project, Congressional Testimony, Committee on the Budget United States House of Representatives, October 25, 2007

Debate on the nation's transportation policy focuses narrowly on new revenues needed to bolster the federal program. In recent testimony before the House Budget Committee, Fellow Robert Puentes argues that we should start with a clearer articulation of the goals, objectives and desired outcomes.

Posted by Info Center at 4:21 PM in Transportation | Permalink

Source: Jonathan Williams, Tax Foundation, Background Paper, no. 56, October 2007

From the press release:
As the price of oil, and subsequently the price of gasoline, has continued to rise in recent years, many motorists have expressed outrage over the "pain at the pump." A new study released today by the Tax Foundation shows that drivers' ire should be aimed not only at oil and gas producers, but also at the uneven and increasingly unprincipled taxation of gas across the United States.

Posted by Info Center at 5:43 PM in Taxation | Transportation | Permalink

Source: Heidi Sommer and H. Sterling Burnett, National Center For Policy Analysis, Brief Analysis, No. 597, October 18, 2007

While there are legitimate concerns about the safety of the nation's infrastructure, increasing the federal gas tax is unnecessary and will ultimately hurt America's poor and low-income citizens. Fortunately, Congress can better ensure the soundness of the nation's bridges and overpasses without raising taxes, simply by shifting existing funds within the transportation budget.

Posted by Info Center at 4:33 PM in Taxation | Transportation | Permalink

Source: Lance R. Grenzeback, David T. Hunt, and Daniel F. Beagan, Association of American Railroads, September 2007

From the press release:
About $148 billion must be invested to expand the nation's freight rail infrastructure over the next three decades to make sure that adequate rail capacity exists to meet future demand, according to the results of a first-of-its-kind study to measure rail capacity needs. Released today, the National Rail Freight Infrastructure Capacity and Investment Study explores the long-term capacity expansion needs of the continental U.S. freight railroads.
...
The study, conducted by Cambridge Systematics, paints a dire picture if freight rail capacity isn't increased: "Without this investment, 30 percent of the rail miles in the primary corridors will be operating above capacity by 2035, causing severe congestion that will affect every region of the country and potentially shift freight to an already heavily congested highway system."

The study highlights needed investment in new tracks, signals, bridges, tunnels, terminals and service facilities that railroads need to keep pace with demand for rail freight transportation, which is expected to almost double over the next 30 years.
• Capacity Maps: Current and Future

Posted by Info Center at 1:14 PM in Transportation | Permalink

Source: Jeffery Memmott, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Special Report, SR-003, September 2007

Bridges are an integral part of the U.S. highway network, providing links across natural barriers, passage over railroads and highways, and freeway connections. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) maintains a database of our nation's highway bridges--the National Bridge Inventory (NBI)--with detailed information on all public road bridges greater than 20 feet. This special report gives a brief synopsis of that inventory, including bridge condition and the resources spent for maintenance and upgrades.

Posted by Info Center at 12:31 PM in Transportation | Permalink

Source: Calvin L. Scovel III, testimony before the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure United States House of Representatives, CC-2007-095, September 5, 2007

The Inspector General testified on September 5, 2007, before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. The Inspector General's statement highlighted bridge safety and funding as significant issues for the Department of Transportation, discussed previous work regarding structurally deficient bridges in the United States, and made observations on the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) actions to address prior OIG recommendations regarding improving its oversight of such bridges. The Inspector General called on FHWA to develop a data-driven, risk-based approach to bridge oversight to better identify and target those structurally deficient bridges most in need of attention. Additionally, the Inspection General described actions that can be taken immediately to strengthen the FHWA's oversight.

Posted by Info Center at 1:58 PM in Transportation | Permalink

Source: Aileen Cho, Tom Ichniowski and William Angelo with reporting from Tom Armistead, Craig Barner, Lucy Bodilly, Eileen Schwartz, Tudor Van Hampton and Deb Wood, Engineering News Record, Vol. 259 no. 6, August 13, 2007

Just as West Virginia's Silver Bridge collapse in 1967 marked a new era for bridge inspections and awareness of U.S. infrastructure issues, so will Minnesota's Interstate 35W bridge collapse be another ante-upping chapter. The chapter is still being written. U.S. Dept. of Transportation Secretary Mary Peters has vowed a "top-to-bottom review" of federal bridge inspection guidelines. The specific structural issues that may be reshaped depend largely on what the National Transportation Safety Board will determine from its investigation. Fatigue cracks, lack of redundancy, bearings corrosion, welding codes--a variety of possible factors have been thrust on the national stage. But engineers caution against premature theories regarding why the 40-year-old steel truss bridge collapsed Aug. 1. What does seem clear is that this will lead to updates in inspection guidelines, increased use of monitoring technologies and renewed attention to the complex issue of funding.

Posted by Info Center at 6:00 PM in Transportation | Permalink

Source: The Brookings Institution, August 2007

Potholes, rough surfaces, and rusting bridges are manifestations of America's deteriorating infrastructure, tragically demonstrated with the disaster in Minneapolis.

State and local leaders are already clamoring for more federal money to prevent future tragedies. But just two years ago, states got a mammoth $244 billion for transportation. But the bill also contained over 6,000 earmarks, many dedicated to new projects, and awarded with no coherent plan or national priority.

The Metropolitan Policy Program's Transportation Reform Series, led by Fellow Robert Puentes, has broadly reassessed the nation's transportation policies, providing options beyond the current hodgepodge of pet projects, to better address these critical needs.

Posted by Info Center at 4:28 PM in Infrastructure | Transportation | Permalink

Source: Deb Wood, Mid-Atlantic Construction, Spring 2007

Faced with and ever-increasing car and work traffic but never-enough dollars for construction and maintenance, the Virginia Department of Transportation is looking toward new ways to keep traffic flowing.

Posted by Info Center at 4:41 PM in Transportation | Permalink