Experts review year in transportation

ARRA, high-speed rail top list

Steve Hawley, Jan 08, 10.

Fourteen transportation experts and analysts, writing at the National Journal’s Transportation Blog, have provided a breakdown of the biggest transportation developments of 2009 and the main priorities in 2010.

In 2009, many of the experts cited the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which provided almost $50 billion for transportation projects across the country, as one of the most important developments. A number also noted the sudden focus on high-speed rail, for which $8 billion was provided in ARRA. And others cited the introduction of a reformed federal transportation bill, although neither house has approved it yet, and the lack of stable transportation funding. Other notable developments included new links between transportation, housing, and environmental policies, projections that gasoline demand may be peaking, and the lowest number of traffic fatalities in almost 50 years.

The experts also identified passage of the new transportation bill as the biggest 2010 priority by far. Some also said that the US needs to choose its transportation projects more wisely, invest in a comprehensive rail transit system, pass the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill, and approve the House jobs bill, which includes $27.5 billion for highway projects, $8.4 billion for transit, and $1 billion for Amtrak, airports, and shipyards.

The participants included former Maryland Governor Parris N. Glendening, who heads the Smart Growth Leadership Institute, Transportation for America Campaign Director James Corless, US Rep. James Oberstar, who chairs the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, and John Horsley, Executive Director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.