ON THE RECORD/Full speed ahead for transportation funds
On Aug. 10, President Bush signed the long-awaited $286.4 billion transportation bill — titled the Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act – A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) — allocating 30 percent more money over the next six years to improve the condition and safety of the country’s transportation networks. As state and local governments gear up to put the money to work, Bob Freudenthal, deputy general manager for the Hendersonville, Tenn., Utility District and incoming president of the Kansas City, Mo.-based American Public Works Association (APWA), praises the bill’s spending limits but points out the need for alternative future funding sources.
Q: Were there any provisions that APWA was supporting that did not make it into the bill?
A: APWA applauded enactment of SAFETEA-LU. It includes a number of provisions which we supported and which will benefit cities and counties. Overall, we believe the new act is an important step in the right direction toward reversing years of underinvestment in our transportation systems. But, given the tremendous infrastructure needs we have at the local level, we need to be investing more. It is critically important that more transportation funds be directed to cities and counties, where local solutions can best be applied to address local needs.
Q: What transportation needs does the bill not address?
A: One of SAFETEA-LU’s strengths is that it builds upon the success of its predecessor, TEA-21, by retaining its core structure and essential intermodal goals. But our transportation system faces a significant threat to its future: the ability to finance its growing preservation, improvement and maintenance needs. Although SAFETEA-LU did increase investment, it did not meet the levels the federal government says are needed to improve our transportation network. It does, however, recognize the need to be thinking about our current financing systems and what should be done to ensure reliable, long-term funding sources for transportation. The new act establishes a commission to examine the transportation system’s future needs and revenues sources.
Q: How can local and state governments compensate for those shortfalls?
A: APWA and our members place a tremendous value on partnerships and working together at the local, state and federal levels in the service of our communities. I think local and state governments compensate for any shortfalls by doing what we do best: by being responsive to the needs of our communities, by building partnerships, by being innovative and by implementing solutions that respect the unique needs and qualities of our cities and counties.
Q: Will the new safety program do enough to improve safety on the nation’s roads and highways?
A: SAFETEA-LU elevates safety to higher priority and includes a strong focus on improving roadway safety. It creates a new comprehensive highway safety improvement program funded at $5.1 billion. Under the program, $90 million annually is dedicated to infrastructure improvements on rural roads. Another program, Safe Routes to School, will provide $612 million for improvements that will make walking and bicycling to school safe and more appealing.
Q: Some critics have said there are too many special projects in the bill. Do local governments feel that the money was allocated fairly and appropriately?
A: It is unlikely special projects will ever be eliminated from transportation bills. Their presence reflects the fact that so many communities have tremendous transportation needs.