Tag: transportation spending: Page 2

Business

Congress passes $1.1 trillion spending bill; cuts $5 billion from federal construction accounts

Two days after the legislation was passed by a tight vote in the House, the Senate passed a $1.1 trillion spending bill Saturday night that includes both good and bad news for federal construction accounts in 2015. The bill keeps the government funded through September, when the fiscal year ends. The Senate passed the spending […]

December 15, 2014

Business

Alabama has no plans to raise gas tax; state will rely on next year’s bond issue for road projects

Gov. Robert Bentley says he has no plans to ask the Alabama legislature to raise the state’s 16-cent-per-gallon gas tax, responding to emailed questions submitted by The Tuscaloosa News. Instead, Alabama instead will look to a $508.5 million highway bond issue to finance highway projects, bonds that last week received a AAA rating from Standard […]

December 15, 2014

Business

Former DOT Sec. LaHood: “We need a big pot of money” to fix America’s roads and bridges

Continuing his “America is one big pothole” theme, former U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood used an appearance at a Caterpillar press event Wednesday night to lambast the present direction of U.S. transportation policy. Calling the 2-year transportation bill passed in 2012 “chintzy,” LaHood called upon Congress to think as roads as economic corridors. […]

October 30, 2014

Business

Road builders, construction groups oppose bill to lower gas tax, surrender federal highway authority to states

Construction groups and transportation interests have written Congress to express opposition to the so-called “devolution” of the federal highway program and the proposed Transportation Empowerment Act. The bill, introduced in the House and Senate last fall, transfers almost all authority over federal highway and transit programs to the states over a five-year period. It would […]

September 18, 2014

Business

Senate passes highway bill with reduced funding; sends vote back to House with pressure for long-term solution

On Tuesday the Senate voted to pass a bill that would stave off the looming insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) after making key changes to the legislation that will send it right back to the House for another vote. The HTF is the primary source of federal funding for road construction and repairs. The […]

July 30, 2014

Business

Dire States hits the road to drum up support for Texas highway construction initiative

Nearly 180 years ago the toughest hombres ever to ride a horse and carry a rifle blazed a trail across Texas, conquering impossible odds to turn that hardscrabble land into one of the country’s most prosperous states. Today, if there are any hombres left, they’re probably stuck in traffic. One person who is helping build […]

July 15, 2014

Roadbuilding

Obama pushes for transportation funding during Key Bridge visit

During his visit to the Key Bridge in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, President Barack Obama urged Congress to quickly pass a highway bill to prevent Highway Trust Fund (HTF) insolvency, The Hill reports. The HTF is a major source of funding for state and local highway projects. However, money in the fund is projected to […]

July 1, 2014

Roadbuilding

HTF 101: How the Highway Trust Fund works

The Highway Trust Fund (HTF) is a major talking point in the highway construction industry right now, especially because the major funding source is likely to run out of money in less than three months. HTF insolvency would mean projects across the nation would not be able to begin and 700,000 workers would lose their […]

June 12, 2014

Roadbuilding

Michigan DOT examines Ohio roadbuilding in latest ‘Reality Check’ update

In it’s latest “Reality Check” video, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) looks at why Ohio roads are in better condition than those in Michigan. The agency began the “Reality Check” video series in March, when it launched the first two videos aimed at debunking common transportation myths. The most recent video — “Why can’t […]

April 30, 2014

Business

Spending of state DOTs places priority on new road construction over repairs

State departments of transportation spend more each year on new road construction than on road repairs, according to a new report from Smart Growth America and Taxpayers for Common Sense. The report, “Repair Priorities 2014,” notes that between 2009 and 2011, state DOTs collectively spent $20.4 billion on new roads, growing the nation’s state-owned network […]

March 25, 2014

Roadbuilding

Repair Priorities 2014: States annually spend $20.4 billion for new road construction, $16.5 billion for road repairs

State departments of transportation (DOTs) spend more each year on new road construction than on road repairs, according to a new report from Smart Growth America and Taxpayers for Common Sense. The report, “Repair Priorities 2014,” notes that between 2009 and 2011, state DOTs collectively spent $20.4 billion on new roads, growing the nation’s state-owned […]

March 14, 2014

Roadbuilding

Congress passes omnibus bill, includes $71.3 billion for transportation

The $1 trillion government spending bill for 2014 cleared Congress yesterday, providing a total of $71.3 billion for transportation spending. The bill passed in the Senate yesterday with a 72-26 vote, Politico reports. The House approved the bill earlier this week on a vote of 359-67. The bill provides $17.8 billion in discretionary appropriations and […]

January 17, 2014