Finally, the Transportation Bill is moving forward, and it looks like a decent bill thus far. Hey was that a commuter train I heard this morning?QuoteRecently, congressional leaders and U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) took the necessary steps to invest in America’s transportation future by releasing the federal transportation reauthorization bill.
The proposed six-year bill outlines $35 billion in annual funding for transportation projects along with changes to current programs and processes. While this represents a decrease in financial support for transportation, it does provide a sustainable funding level through revenue paid into the Highway Trust Fund.
I applaud Chairman Mica for including key provisions in the bill that will break down the bureaucratic barriers to project delivery and expedite project implementation.
Recommendations in the bill include making the environmental review process more efficient, integrating planning and programming approaches, and delegating the responsibility for environmental review to states.
The Senate also released an outline of its version of the transportation reauthorization bill last week, which maintains funding at current levels by utilizing resources outside the Highway Trust Fund. The outline includes elements to accelerate project delivery such as expanding the use of innovative contracting methods and allowing for early right-of-way acquisitions.
While including elements in the bill that speed up the delivery process are a good start to changing the culture of micromanaging and risk aversion, we must continue to encourage Congress to ensure necessary process changes are included in the final bill.
Infrastructure projects are one of the best ways to create jobs and keep America moving, but there are many barriers that add significant delays. We can break through those barriers by implementing the recommendations from the Breaking Down Barriers initiative to help move projects forward.
Breaking Down Barriers is a national initiative led by the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) to expedite project delivery, without sacrificing the environment, and accelerate the creation of more than 800,000 jobs in the U.S.
SOURCE: http://www.metro-magazine.com/Blog/Transit-Dispatches/Story/2011/07/OCTA-CEO-Federal-transportation-bill-on-the-right-track.aspx?ref=TransitDispatches-20110727&utm_source=Email&utm_medium=Enewsletter
OCKLAWAHA
Is this the bill where he has proposed basically eliminating requirements for pedestrian and bike improvements being made as a part of road construction projects? If so, I'm not a fan.
Here's the summary:
http://republicans.transportation.house.gov/Media/file/112th/Highways/Reauthorization_document.pdf (http://republicans.transportation.house.gov/Media/file/112th/Highways/Reauthorization_document.pdf)
Quote from: thelakelander on July 28, 2011, 09:02:51 AM
Is this the bill where he has proposed basically eliminating requirements for pedestrian and bike improvements being made as a part of road construction projects? If so, I'm not a fan.
Yes.
From mvp's link:
QuoteFurthermore, states will no longer be required to spend highway funding on non-highway activities. States will be permitted to fund such activities if they choose, but they will be provided the flexibility to identify and address their most critical infrastructure needs. However, this additional flexibility will not be unchecked. States will be held accountable for their spending decisions through new performance measures and transparency requirements.
The Mica bill is seriously flawed.
Intentionally or not, it would expedite big highway projects at the expense of projects that would more directly benefit bicyclists and pedestrians.
yep....the flexibility that allows states and "locals" to do as they please is a bit risky...while I feel pretty good about our "local" funds (depending on the meaning), state funds are a different story....the new FDOT Secretary has already questioned the wisdom of spending precious dollars in this economy on sidewalks, trails, etc.
btw...$35B each year for 6 years = $210 Billion....which is less than the last bill was in 2004!