Tag: reauthorization: Page 4

Roadbuilding

Shuster talks transportation funding, earmarks at TCC Fly-in

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) believes September 2014 reauthorization has much the same bipartisan support that surfaced for Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21), and a bill could be ready for the President to sign when MAP-21 expires. Funding, he said, is of course the key issue. Reforms […]

June 5, 2013

Roadbuilding

Fifty cents on the dollar for Illinois roads

At a time when funding for roads and bridges–what there is of it–is squeezed to the maximum (a situation that isn’t likely to change any time soon) comes an unsettling new report. Check out this lead paragraph from a story the Chicago Tribune published this week: “Less than half of the money that the state […]

May 16, 2013

Roadbuilding

Where Interstate 20 crosses Interstate Bob

Are we approaching an intersection, where Public Street and Private Road meet? And if we are, is that intersection a confusing place in need of significant upgrading if it is to benefit the traveling public? Yep. Public-private partnerships created to profitably build and operate/manage transportation infrastructure (i.e. roads and bridges) appear to be on the […]

May 15, 2013

Roadbuilding

Let’s start ramping up reauthorization pressure

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has, helpfully, stated the obvious. The CBO is essentially confirming for us that when reauthorization rolls about next September, MAP-21’s replacement, facing a nearly bankrupt Highway Trust Fund, will either have to dive into the General Fund (and fight with everyone else in Washington who has to dive into the […]

May 2, 2013

Roadbuilding

Transportation funding talks remain stagnant

The debate over transportation funding continues as MAP-21’s expiration date—September 2014—inches closer and closer. Congressional discussions about how to increase funding are seemingly going nowhere, Politico reported. While transportation funding, particularly the Highway Trust Fund, continues to decrease, ideas about an increase in the gas tax (which has remained stagnant since its 18.4-cent-per-gallon raise in […]

March 25, 2013

Roadbuilding

Depends what you mean by “relevant” or “earmark.”

When it comes to transportation infrastructure, what is “relevant” and what is an “earmark?” The debate arises courtesy of Minnesota Republican Representative and former Presidential candidate Michelle Bachmann. And while the debate comes from a meeting where she spoke, it is not just a one-off story about that meeting or even about Bachmann, it is […]

March 22, 2013

Roadbuilding

Hey Congressman, watch this ARTBA video

The American Roads and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) has released a new video. The message is old. That’s kind of the point. The message has been the same for years now. Fix the Highway Trust Fund. So the message is also of vital importance to the transportation infrastructure community, both in terms of work and […]

March 12, 2013

Roadbuilding

White House releases transportation infrastructure ‘plan’

The White House has released a statement called “The President’s Plan to Make America a Magnet for Jobs by Investing in Infrastructure.”  The plan repeats the president’s State of the Union “fix it first” idea, claiming that, “Repair and maintenance of our existing roads, bridges and public transportation systems should take priority before we consider […]

February 20, 2013

Roadbuilding

President pushes transportation construction speed-up in TV meetings

President Obama is set to sit down today for interviews with half a dozen television stations from major cities to push a plan that will speed up transportation construction projects. This has been a clearly-stated and much publicized goal of FHWA and its Administrator Victor Mendez for some time, obviously with the backing of the […]

February 20, 2013

Roadbuilding

Somebody blinked: States making moves for transportation infrastructure funds

As the inevitability of dwindling fuel tax revenues keeps butting heads with the inevitable need for more funding for transportation infrastructure, something has to give. States are now making moves instead of just talking about them, as this New York Times piece demonstrates. As reauthorization comes a round again in 2014, it is essential that […]

February 19, 2013

Roadbuilding

Maryland governor looking for new transportation funding

This from the Washington Post: Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley met with Senate Democrats on Tuesday as part of a continuing effort to craft a bill to raise hundreds of millions of dollars in additional revenue for transportation projects, an aide said More such meetings ( with the names and party affiliations changing) are expected across […]

February 18, 2013

Roadbuilding

Cyclists getting “doored”: that’s got to hurt

It would be one of those “this is going to hurt” moments that you know is happening but you can’t avoid. As the push to do more for cyclists gains momentum, how does your state stand on “dooring”.  This story points out it is illegal in DC and Maryland but not in Virginia. Getting “doored.” […]

February 14, 2013