Mendez, Mica: ‘We’ll have a surface transportation bill by August recess’

by John Latta, Better Roads Editor-in-Chief

ORLANDO–1st International Transportation Construction Management Conference

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) head Victor Mendez had at least positive notions today at the 1st International Transportation Construction Management Conference that is loaded with intense technical presentations.

One: Mendez and House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee Chairman John Mica appear to be getting on like a house on fire.

Two: They both think we’ll have a surface transportation bill on the President’s desk by the August recess.

Three: Both share an urgent desire to cut project delivery times in half. Mendez says FHWA is already working on it with two distinct foci
— more efficient planning and more efficient construction .

Four: One of the most important takeaways from the Stimulus was that urgency, properly channeled, works.

Five: There is technology out there that is unemployed or underemployed and decision-makers in industry and government need to be bolder and less risk averse, without being foolhardy, in finding ways to use them.