On Tuesday, lawmakers in Washington, D.C., reached a long-awaited highway transportation bill that, if passed, would provide $281-$305 billion (sources list varying numbers) over the next five years to help remedy the nation’s aging and congested highways and transportation systems. A vote is expected by the end of this week, before the current authority for the Highway Trust Fund expires on Friday.
The deal amounts to agreement over what has become a contested and divisive political issue. Threats of government shutdown have loomed over transportation systems across the country for the past seven years, making it difficult for states to plan much-needed transportation projects and stunting growth in the construction industry. But now it appears that compromise may be close, if not realized already.
That compromise comes in the form of a 1,300-page bill that, among many other enterprises, would increase highway spending by 15 percent and would raise transit spending by 18 percent over its five year duration. $10 billion would be dedicated to Amtrak improvements, $12 billion for mass transit systems and an additional $1 billion would be allocated to vehicle safety programs. The bill also focuses on improving important “freight corridors” with the goal of undoing bottlenecks and speeding the delivery of goods.
Funding for the bill comes from a series of revenue-raising provisions, criticized by some as accounting gimmicks, or sleight of hand. The federal “gas tax” of 18.5 cents-a-gallon will remain unchanged, a tax which has not been increased since 1993. The bill also falls short of the $400 billion sought by the United States Secretary of Transportation, Anthony Foxx, who proposed that this larger amount is needed to avoid worsening traffic congestion across the country. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., a key negotiator of the proposed legislation, explained “Although it is not perfect, I believe it is a major accomplishment for our people who expect us to fund a top-notch transportation system.”
