Congress Averts Shutdown Approving Sweeping Spending Deal
December 20, 2019
In the midst of the political turmoil and tensions on Capitol Hill and the deadline to fund the government looms, Congress simultaneously reached a bipartisan $1.4 trillion spending package that funds the government through September 2020. This spending package includes core infrastructure programs for fiscal year (FY) 2020. Congressional leadership developed two ‘minibuses’ (H.R. 1865......
November 21, 2019
State departments of transportation (DOT) might be able to breathe easier this weekend. Thanks to the efforts of ASCE members and government relations staff, the Society was successful in the repeal of the $7.6 billion rescission, or cancellation, of unobligated highway contract authority under the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) scheduled to take effect on July......
States Could Face Surface Transportation Performance Goal Penalties
November 05, 2019
As we move into reauthorizing the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, recently reported data shows Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia will need to spend a collective $1.8 billion prior to September 30, 2020—the FAST Act expiration— on improvements to National Highway......
The Highway Trust Fund Needs Fixing – New Report Looks at a VMT Tax
October 23, 2019
By 2022, the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), the main funding source for the federal government’s investments in highway and transit infrastructure and primarily funded by the federal motor fuels tax, is set to dry up. In anticipation of this, Congress is looking at long-term solutions to fund our surface transportation systems. One of those proposed......
Freight Movement Is On the Rise, So America’s Infrastructure Must Hold Its Weight
October 10, 2019
The national transportation and research group TRIP released a new report on October 3, 2019 detailing an expected 104% rise in annual freight transportation across the U.S. from 2016 to 2045. This increase in freight movement breeds challenges to the nation’s already aging infrastructure. The report, “America’s Rolling Warehouses: Opportunities And Challenges With The Nation’s......
103-Year-Old FHWA Rule that Prohibits Innovation Repealed
October 01, 2019
For the past century, states were not allowed to use “proprietary” products on their federally funded projects. In other words, states could not use federal aid to use or buy patented or propriety products and also limited specifications or processes for bridge and highway projects eligible for funds under the federal-aid highway programs –even if......
Big Travel Weekend Coincides with New Traffic Report
August 29, 2019
This weekend marks the last (unofficial) weekend of summer, and with the long weekend just hours away, people across the country will be hitting the road. Another holiday means more holiday traffic, which shines a spotlight on the need to improve our transportation infrastructure. According to the travel industry group Airlines for America, about 17.5......
Thirteen States Increase Their Gas Tax – Just in Time for Summer
July 18, 2019
Across the country, many states are proving that funding and modernizing infrastructure is a key priority. We just saw Illinois pass a massive, bipartisan transportation package in June as a part of the “Rebuild Illinois Plan,” which created new revenue for roads and bridges, as well as increased the vehicle registration fee and added an......
Infrastructure & Science Funding Bills Move Through House Committees
May 24, 2019
The House Appropriations Committee was hard at work addressing infrastructure and science education this week, which is perfect timing after last week’s nation-wide Infrastructure Week push. The committee passed bills to set aside funding for a number of infrastructure categories including water, energy, and national parks, while the House Appropriations Transportation, Housing and Urban Development......
Infrastructure Week: #BuildForTomorrow
May 16, 2019
The mood this Infrastructure Week was optimistic, with the timing perfectly sandwiched between two important meetings: the April 30th discussion between Democratic leaders in Congress and President Trump to discuss a $2 trillion investment solution and a scheduled next week to discuss funding solutions for this plan. Excitement was in the air from the DMV to Texas,......