While the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) has been able to make significant improvements to state-maintained roads and bridges, additional progress may be stalled due to a lack of reliable funding. Increased investment in transportation improvements at the local, state and federal levels could improve road and bridge conditions, boost safety, ease congestion and improve reliability, and support short- and…
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House Committee Moves Transportation Legislation
The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure approved two major pieces of infrastructure legislation on a bipartisan basis during a 19-hour markup, both of which make transformational investments to modernize America’s roads, bridges, highways, rail, transit and wastewater systems. The policy changes advanced in committee mark a significant departure from status quo infrastructure legislation of the past in order to…
Read MoreAASHTO: 2022 Budget Request Seeks $88 Billion for USDOT
According to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the 72-page fiscal year 2022 budget request issued by the Office of Management and Budget on May 28 seeks $88.2 billion for the U.S. Department of Transportation – an increase of $352 million or 0.4% over the enacted FY 2021 level, though that number does not include funding proposed by…
Read MoreROCKS Act Approved in EPW Committee
The Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee successfully approved, by a vote of 20-0, its bipartisan Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act of 2021, which includes S. 1672, the Rebuilding Our Communities by Keeping Aggregates Sustainable (ROCKS) Act.
Read MoreTRIP: Vehicle Travel Returns to Near Pre-Pandemic Levels
As the summer travel season begins and the United States continues to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, vehicle travel has returned to near pre-pandemic levels and has surpassed pre-COVID levels in 15 states, according to a new report by TRIP, a Washington, D.C.-based national transportation research nonprofit.
Read MoreFreight Bottlenecks a $42 Billion Hidden Cost on U.S. Economy
Freight bottlenecks cost the U.S. economy more than $42 billion in 2019 – a hidden tax on the American people that is only likely to increase as the country fully opens, according to a review of Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) data.
Read MorePortman, Kelly Introduce ROCKS Act
U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) introduced the Rebuilding Our Communities by Keeping Aggregates Sustainable (ROCKS) Act, a bill that would make federal transportation projects more sustainable, efficient, and beneficial to local economies by advancing the use of locally-sourced aggregate resources, like sand, stone, and gravel. In the House, a companion bill has been introduced by Reps. Troy Balderson…
Read MoreNSSGA Applauds Introduction of PAVE Act
Rep. Conor Lamb (D-Pa.), along with Reps. Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio) and Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.) introduced the bipartisan Providing Assistance for Vital Enhancements (PAVE) Act, legislation to authorize an additional $18 billion in emergency funding for state Departments of Transportation (DOT). “Too many critical infrastructure projects in Pennsylvania have been delayed or cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Lamb. “Congress…
Read MoreLouisiana Roads and Bridges Need Major Investment
Roads and bridges that are deteriorated, congested or lack some desirable safety features cost Louisiana motorists a total of $7.6 billion statewide annually – as much as $2,431 per driver in some areas – due to higher vehicle operating costs, traffic crashes and congestion-related delays. Increased investment in transportation improvements at the local, state and federal levels could relieve traffic…
Read MoreBiden Seeks 2022 Transportation Increases
April 13, 2021 – According to media reports, President Joe Biden has submitted a $1.5 trillion fiscal 2022 budget plan that includes a 14% increase in discretionary funding for transportation systems and severe weather resilience programs. The budget request proposes to “build back better America’s highway, transit and rail systems nationwide; make historic investment in safety, equity, and climate change…
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