highway funding
Transportation bill fails to pass before congressional recess
Several senators blocked a proposed $54 billion measure to fund highways and other 2014 transportation projects, and House of Representatives members canceled a vote on a lesser $44 billion proposal before Congress embarked on its five-week summer recess. Bloomberg News… Keep Reading
Senators press for action on Highway Trust Fund
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, called on Congress to act to preserve 3 million jobs that are reportedly in jeopardy due to funding shortfalls once MAP-21 expires. Boxer held a press conference with… Keep Reading
House committee exploring federal gas tax increase
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee discussed increasing the federal gas tax during a hearing about the existing shortfall between incoming and outgoing road and transit funding, according to The Hill. The 18.4-cents-per-gallon federal gas tax, which generates about $35… Keep Reading
Obama weighs in on infrastructure issues
President Barack Obama touched on U.S. infrastructure during an economic speech July 24 at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., pointing out that more than 100,000 bridges are theoretically old enough to qualify for Medicare. "Businesses depend on our transportation systems,… Keep Reading
Texas putting transportation funding decision to voters
The Texas Legislature plans to ask voters to divert money from the state's rainy day fund for transportation purposes, the Associated Press reports. The measure, which the Legislature is expected to approve, would be added as an amendment to the… Keep Reading
Six states to benefit from DOT emergency relief funds
The U.S. Department of Transportation is providing $11.5 million in emergency relief funds from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to help six states cover the costs of repairing roads and bridges damaged by a variety of natural disasters in the… Keep Reading
Bill proposed to eliminate backlog of deficient bridges
Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) introduced a $5.5 billion bill June 19 to rehabilitate and reconstruct deficient U.S. bridges. The Strengthen and Fortify Existing Bridges Act (SAFE), which provides $2.75 billion in each of the next two years, was crafted in… Keep Reading
Proposed bill leans on corporations for infrastructure funds
A unique form of infrastructure funding was introduced last week when Rep. John K. Delaney (D-Md.) crafted The Partnership to Build America Act, which would create a $50 billion fund that makes bonds available for purchase to global corporations based… Keep Reading
Presidential memorandum to speed up infrastructure projects
President Barack Obama signed a presidential memorandum this month to expedite the development of major infrastructure projects. The memorandum advises federal agencies to reduce aggregate timelines for major infrastructure projects by half. Obama announced that he had signed the memorandum… Keep Reading
