Despite the increase in transportation funding provided by the passage of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) in November 2021, the nation’s roads, bridges and transit systems remain significantly underfunded and will require increased investment for needed improvements and repairs. Fees on highway users continue to be a critical source of funding for the preservation and improvement of…
Read MoreTag: Highway Trust Fund
Infrastructure Bill Aligns With Key AASHTO Principles
An 81-page analysis of the $1.2 trillion “Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act” (IIJA) passed by the Senate on August 10 and now winding its way through the House of Representatives finds it aligns with key principles espoused by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).
Read MoreA Rescue for the Highway Trust Fund
August 3, 2021 – The Highway Trust Fund was just thrown a lifeline. A $118 billion bailout of the Highway Trust Fund from the Treasury’s general fund was slipped into the ever-evolving infrastructure bill text at the last minute. I could have predicted there would be something in the bill at some point, given lawmakers’ inability to agree on user-fee…
Read MoreButtigieg Touts Road Usage Fees
March 3, 2021 – Restoring the solvency of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) must occur in a way that is “sustainable, predictable, defensible and affordable” with “some sort of road usage levy necessary” on all vehicles in the future, according to Pete Buttigieg, secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Speaking at the virtual 2021 American Association of State Highway and…
Read MoreBiden Touts Infrastructure; AASHTO Sets Priorities
President Joe Biden said in a statement, “in my first appearance before a Joint Session of Congress, I will lay out … my Build Back Better Recovery Plan. It will make historic investments in infrastructure and manufacturing, innovation, research and development, and clean energy.” The president said this approach would create more than 18 million jobs.
Read MoreFAST Act Extended for One Year
Oct. 1, 2020 – The Senate approved a one-year extension for the FAST Act, the current surface transportation authorization law, which was set to expire on Sept. 30. The highway program provision was attached to a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the federal government through Dec. 11. The House approved the CR last week. President Trump signed the measure. The FAST Act extension includes $13.6 billion…
Read MoreFAST Act Expiration Coming Fast
Sept. 16, 2020 – Well, here we are in September and it looks very unlikely that a new infrastructure bill will be passed by the end of the month. With the FAST Act’s expiration, the only solution is a short-term extension. A legislative update from this week’s National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association M&S Committee meeting indicated that the Highway Trust Fund will become insolvent in 2021…
Read MoreInfrastructure Working Group Calls for Bipartisan Action
The Infrastructure Working Group (IWG) sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) urging bipartisan action to address our nation’s long-standing infrastructure deficit.
Read MoreReport Cites Need to Improve Infrastructure for Freight Transport
The ability of the nation’s freight transportation system to efficiently and safely accommodate the growing demand for freight movement could be hampered by inadequate transportation capacity, institutional barriers to enhancing the nation’s freight facilities, a lack of adequate funding for needed improvements to the freight network and a shortage of drivers, according to a new report released by TRIP, a…
Read MoreARTBA Offers Legislative Blueprint for Infrastructure Bill
Members of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) are rolling out a comprehensive legislative blueprint with their vision for the future of the U.S. infrastructure network, with emphasis on expanded investments in the National Highway Freight Network.
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