Refocus, Reform and Renew the National Approach to Highway and Transit Systems in America

08/08/08

I had the unique opportunity recently to attend a function where the United States Secretary of Transportation, Mary Peters unveiled the Bush Administration's Visionary New Plan to Refocus, Reform and Renew the National Approach to Highway and Transit Systems in America. The event was put on by the Broward Workshop and it was held at the Towner Club in downtown Ft. Lauderdale on August 1, 2008 at 7:30 a.m.

Secretary Peters took the time to detail the plan on how the administration proposes to refocus, reform, and renew our approach to the nation’s highways and transit systems by completely overhauling the way U.S. transportation decisions and investments are made. The plan starts by refocusing the nation’s transportation programs. The federal government will take responsibility for maintaining and improving the condition and performance of the Interstate highway system. These highways carry over 25% of the nation’s traffic and three quarters of the nation’s long-haul trucks. Making sure they are safe, well maintained, and un-congested must be a key federal priority.

This new plan confronts the growing problem of urban traffic by giving federal officials the flexibility to make investments based on what gets people where they need to go as quickly and as reliably as possible. If new subways, street cars, or bus routes represent the best investment, communities will have greater freedom – and significantly more resources – to pay for those projects.

The new plan reforms the nation’s approach to transportation by consolidating the 102 various programs that have been created this past two decades into 8 strong consolidated programs. The Secretary also noted that changes to the federal review process should be made because it shouldn’t take more than a dozen years to design and build new highway and transit projects.

Secretary Peters also noted that the United States must focus on the long overdue process of weaning the Country from the gas tax. She indicated that the transportation policies must not contradict the national objective to reduce fossil-based fuel consumption. The goal is to make it easier for states to create infrastructure banks, expand the use of federally backed transportation loans, and eliminate federal taxes the discourage facilitate investments in transportation projects.

The Secretary said that the United States must make it easer to implement road pricing, making it easier for states to take advantage of the over $400 billion in private-sector funds available worldwide for infrastructure investments. The idea is simple: have federal funds leverage new investments in transportation, instead of replacing them. This plan will renew the nation’s transportation network by encouraging massive new investments in Interstate highways –by expanding roads and supporting new transit systems in the nation’s cities, to bring easier and quicker commutes, and to cut shipping times.

Secretary Peters turned her focus on the new I-95 hot lanes project that will be a landmark transportation project that the rest of the Country will model in the future. The Secretary applauded Florida Transportation Secretary Stephanie Kopelousos for working with all regional leaders in South Florida to find a workable project that does not get bogged down over jurisdictional boundaries. The I-95 hot lanes will be a model project that will help transportation leaders in other regions of the United States create these type of transportation solutions.

The Secretary asked that engineering professionals stay involved and be engaged in the the process with your local legislators. It is important to try and be a part of the solution and not the problem. With a new Transportation bill slated for September 2009, the time is now to stay engaged and get involved with these important issues.

The Secretary closed with the following comment "We must if we are going to keep our cities competitive and clean, if we are going to keep our economy vibrant and vital, and we must if we are going to get America moving again."

Please visit our web site in the near future. A portion of the Secretary's talk will soon be available to stream on the ASCE Broward web site under the (past) Meetings and Events page.

A copy of the published one page summary of the "New Approach for American's Transportation Future" can be found on our web site.

I will post one more blog as a summary and wrap-up of this past year as your President next month.

Eric S. Czerniejewski, P.E.

ASCE Broward Branch President 2007-2008