Senate EPW Committee Examines How to Modernize America’s Infrastructure
February 09, 2017
On Wednesday the Senate’s Environment and Public Works committee held its first oversight hearing of the 115th Congress (video available here) and new Chairman John Barrasso (R-WY) started things off by making it clear where he stands on the proposal offered by President Trump’s campaign to use private investment to improve our nation’s infrastructure: “Funding......
Tennessee Senate Committee Receives Infrastructure Report Card
February 07, 2017
As Tennessee’s legislature and governor explore funding options for the state’s transportation infrastructure, the Tennessee Section of ASCE was invited to present the 2016 Report Card for Tennessee’s Infrastructure to the state’s Senate Transportation and Safety Committee. WBIR.com even named it as one of “5 things to watch this week in the legislature.” On Monday,......
Democrats’ Infrastructure Blueprint Furthers Legislative Conversation
January 26, 2017
Days after President Trump was the first to use the word “infrastructure” in an inaugural address, Senate Democrats doubled-down on his promise to invest in infrastructure by offering their own plan to increase investment by $1 trillion over 10 years, and purportedly create more than 15 million new jobs in the process. The plan, led......
The FAST Act Turns One, But The Work’s Not Done
December 05, 2016
This Sunday was the one year anniversary of the signing of the FAST Act, the five-year federal surface transportation authorization. The law authorizes federal funding for highways, bridges, transit systems and railroads. The passage of the FAST Act was a victory for proponents of infrastructure and everyday Americans who use it. It provided a small......
State Gear Up to Tackle Road Funding in 2017
December 01, 2016
Over the past three years, 17 states have increased their gas tax to generate additional revenue for surface transportation. In almost every state the recent increase was the first in nearly two decades. Even with the passages of last year’s FAST Act, states are still facing uncertainty when it comes to funding sources. Cars are......
TIGER Grants: They’re Grrrrrreat!
August 04, 2016
Last Friday the U.S. Department of Transportation announced the 40 projects that will share $485 million in TIGER grants in FY16. This is the eighth round of TIGER grants (properly called the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery program). The program was authorized as a part of the 2009 recovery act to support innovative projects that......
Inaugural Round of FASTLANE Grant Recipients Released
July 13, 2016
The U.S. Department of Transportation provided to Congress last week the list of 18 recipients of the first annual round of FASTLANE grants. The FASTLANE program was authorized by the FAST Act to fund critical freight and highway projects of national or regional significance. The grants can be used for highway, port, freight rail and intermodal......
Happy 60th Birthday, Interstate Highway System!
June 29, 2016
The History of the Interstate Highway System Over 60 years ago President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 and in doing so created the Interstate Highway System (IHS). President Eisenhower explained the necessity of an interstate system in a 1955 statement to Congress: “Together, the uniting forces of our communication and......
House Passes Resolution Limiting Options to Fix the Highway Trust Fund
June 10, 2016
Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed H. Con. Res. 112, a resolution introduced by Rep. Boustany (R-LA) and co-sponsored by 11 Republicans expressing Congress’ opposition to new fees on oil. As yesterday’s blog post highlighted, this resolution may be non-binding, but it puts Congress on the record in opposition to a viable option for......
Congressional Vote Could Limit Options to #FixTheTrustFund
June 09, 2016
Tomorrow the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on H. Con. Res. 112, a concurrent resolution introduced by Rep. Boustany (R-LA) and co-sponsored by 11 Republicans that would express Congress’ opposition to new fees on oil. While non-binding, the resolution would put Congress on the record as opposing one option for fixing the Highway Trust......