/PRNewswire/ -- Where can we find the money to modernize and maintain our major highways? The federal government would have an additional $10 billion a year to spend on crucial highways if it stopped diverting federal gas tax money to projects with no national benefits, according to a new Reason Foundation study.
The federal gas tax was supposed to be used to build and maintain the Interstate Highway System. Today auto and truck drivers pay federal gas taxes that are diverted to ferryboats, trails and mass transit programs. Since these other programs aren't national, are unable to generate significant user revenues and require large subsidies, the Reason Foundation report says they should be funded by state and local governments. The 18.4 cents a gallon federal fuel tax should be refocused on rebuilding and modernizing vitally important Interstates.
"Sooner or later Congress is going to have to deal with the highway bill and the major shortfall in highway investment," said Robert Poole, principal author of the report and director of transportation policy at Reason Foundation. "It is time to rethink and refocus the federal transportation role more on core federal purposes and less on peripheral concerns. Congress could dramatically increase funding to reduce the large backlog of cost-effective highway projects by shifting non-highway programs either to states or to general revenues. This would restore the users-pay/users-benefit principle of the Highway Trust Fund by focusing on rebuilding and modernizing the Interstate system. This Interstate 2.0 approach would increase federal investment in the nation's most important arteries by nearly $10 billion a year without raising taxes."
The study explains how refocusing the Highway Trust Fund can restore the public's trust in infrastructure spending, which has been severely damaged by too many bridges to nowhere. Along with needed investment in an Interstate 2.0 system, the proposal would also reduce federal mandates and give states more control over their transportation spending. The Interstate 2.0 approach would give states incentives to reduce waste and administrative costs; prioritize projects that will produce the largest benefits; embrace public-private partnerships that shift financing and risk away from taxpayers and onto private investors; and utilize technology, tolling, and congestion pricing to produce a sustainable, user-pays 21st-century highway system.
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Showing posts with label highway. Show all posts
Showing posts with label highway. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
150 Highway Improvement Projects Underway or Completed in Georgia Thanks to Stimulus Law
/PRNewswire/ -- There are currently 150 American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA)-financed highway construction projects underway or completed in Georgia involving $465.8 million in funds, according to data released today by the Washington, D.C.-based American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). The projects underway or completed have supported or are supporting 12,960 jobs in Georgia that would otherwise not exist, says ARTBA Vice President of Economics & Research Dr. Bill Buechner.
ARRA, signed into law on February 17, 2009, provided $48 billion for transportation improvements over two years, including $27.5 billion for highway, bridge and related construction projects nationwide. The law is having significant impacts on the transportation construction industry in all 50 states.
ARRA provided $932.8 million to Georgia for highway, bridge and related improvements. This one-time bonus added more than 81 percent to Georgia's regular federal highway funds under the current federal surface transportation law - Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) - bringing the state's total federal highway funding in 2009 to a record $2.08 billion.
According to Buechner, a Harvard-trained economist, another 193 projects have been identified and are slated to be under construction shortly.
The following shows the number of ARRA-financed highway projects and amount obligated in each Georgia congressional district.
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ARRA, signed into law on February 17, 2009, provided $48 billion for transportation improvements over two years, including $27.5 billion for highway, bridge and related construction projects nationwide. The law is having significant impacts on the transportation construction industry in all 50 states.
ARRA provided $932.8 million to Georgia for highway, bridge and related improvements. This one-time bonus added more than 81 percent to Georgia's regular federal highway funds under the current federal surface transportation law - Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) - bringing the state's total federal highway funding in 2009 to a record $2.08 billion.
According to Buechner, a Harvard-trained economist, another 193 projects have been identified and are slated to be under construction shortly.
The following shows the number of ARRA-financed highway projects and amount obligated in each Georgia congressional district.
Congressional District Number of projects Amount Obligated-----
---------------------- ------------------ ----------------
1 34 $86,665,347
--- --- -----------
2 43 $86,835,121
--- --- -----------
3 38 $85,771,226
--- --- -----------
4 19 $56,778,387
--- --- -----------
5 12 $38,240,488
--- --- -----------
6 23 $66,378,240
--- --- -----------
7 8 $63,631,194
--- --- -----------
8 31 $117,272,487
--- --- ------------
9 22 $21,766,493
--- --- -----------
10 43 $87,392,499
--- --- -----------
11 18 $42,277,506
--- --- -----------
12 37 $43,465,818
--- --- -----------
13 13 $39,155,780
--- --- -----------
Multidistrict 2 $1,171,095
------------- --- ----------
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Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Professional Truck Drivers Provide Life Saving Advice During Winter Weather
/PRNewswire/ -- With extreme winter weather blanketing the nation, and the promise of fresh snowstorms during the busy holiday travel season, million mile accident-free professional truck drivers are taking the opportunity to share their experience and help make our roads safer.
Drivers from the Share the Road national highway safety program offer this advice on how to navigate through highway traffic and arrive at your destination safely:
-- Avoid extreme weather conditions: Ice, hail and snow make roads
difficult to travel. Try to avoid driving through extreme weather
conditions, and travel during daylight.
-- Remove ice and snow from your vehicle: Clear your windows and roof of
snow to ensure you have maximum visibility and avoid creating a hazard
for the vehicle behind you. Don't allow ice and snow to create
additional blindspots on your vehicle.
-- Be aware of the vehicle in front of you: Leave extra room between you
and the vehicle in front so you can avoid snow and ice blowing onto
your windshield or maneuver around patches of ice.
-- Prepare an emergency kit: Contents should include: battery powered
radio, flashlight, blanket, jumper cables, fire extinguisher, first
aid kit, bottled water, non-perishable foods, maps, tire repair kit
and flares.
-- Be aware of truck blind spots: When sharing the road with large
trucks, be aware of their blind spots. If you can't see the truck
driver in his or her mirrors, then the truck driver can't see you.
-- Do not cut in front of large trucks: Remember that trucks are heavier
and take longer to make a complete stop, so avoid cutting quickly in
front of them.
-- Slow Down: When highways are hit with wintry conditions, speeding
becomes even more dangerous. Allow plenty of space cushion and reduce
your speed.
-- Buckle up: Safety belts reduce the risk of fatal injury by 45 percent
and are a simple way to increase your safety on the road.
"Highway travel is challenging when you add wintry conditions such as ice, snow and slush," said Share the Road professional driver Gary Leu. "Remember to take it slow, stay alert and buckle up if you need to travel during less than ideal conditions. By being patient we can all share the highway and stay safe this winter."
Share the Road is a highway safety outreach program of the American Trucking Associations that educates all drivers about sharing the roads safely with large trucks. An elite team of professional truck drivers with millions of accident-free miles deliver life-saving messages to millions of motorists annually. The safety program is sponsored by Mack Trucks, Inc. and Michelin North America, Inc. www.atastr.org
-----
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Drivers from the Share the Road national highway safety program offer this advice on how to navigate through highway traffic and arrive at your destination safely:
-- Avoid extreme weather conditions: Ice, hail and snow make roads
difficult to travel. Try to avoid driving through extreme weather
conditions, and travel during daylight.
-- Remove ice and snow from your vehicle: Clear your windows and roof of
snow to ensure you have maximum visibility and avoid creating a hazard
for the vehicle behind you. Don't allow ice and snow to create
additional blindspots on your vehicle.
-- Be aware of the vehicle in front of you: Leave extra room between you
and the vehicle in front so you can avoid snow and ice blowing onto
your windshield or maneuver around patches of ice.
-- Prepare an emergency kit: Contents should include: battery powered
radio, flashlight, blanket, jumper cables, fire extinguisher, first
aid kit, bottled water, non-perishable foods, maps, tire repair kit
and flares.
-- Be aware of truck blind spots: When sharing the road with large
trucks, be aware of their blind spots. If you can't see the truck
driver in his or her mirrors, then the truck driver can't see you.
-- Do not cut in front of large trucks: Remember that trucks are heavier
and take longer to make a complete stop, so avoid cutting quickly in
front of them.
-- Slow Down: When highways are hit with wintry conditions, speeding
becomes even more dangerous. Allow plenty of space cushion and reduce
your speed.
-- Buckle up: Safety belts reduce the risk of fatal injury by 45 percent
and are a simple way to increase your safety on the road.
"Highway travel is challenging when you add wintry conditions such as ice, snow and slush," said Share the Road professional driver Gary Leu. "Remember to take it slow, stay alert and buckle up if you need to travel during less than ideal conditions. By being patient we can all share the highway and stay safe this winter."
Share the Road is a highway safety outreach program of the American Trucking Associations that educates all drivers about sharing the roads safely with large trucks. An elite team of professional truck drivers with millions of accident-free miles deliver life-saving messages to millions of motorists annually. The safety program is sponsored by Mack Trucks, Inc. and Michelin North America, Inc. www.atastr.org
-----
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Monday, August 31, 2009
Governors Highway Safety Association Endorses Texting While Driving Ban for All Drivers
Editor Note: At this time, Georgia only bans cell phone use for school bus drivers.
/PRNewswire/ -- The membership of the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) has enacted a new policy encouraging every state to ban texting behind the wheel for all drivers. GHSA Members are appointed by their governors to lead state highway safety agencies.
According to GHSA Chairman Vernon F. Betkey Jr., "The action by the GHSA membership is based on the fact that texting while driving is indisputably a distraction and a serious highway safety problem. If every state passes a texting ban, it will send a message to the public that this dangerous practice is unacceptable. We can begin to change the culture that has permitted distracted driving." Betkey noted the recent study from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute influenced the GHSA membership action. That study indicated that a driver who is texting increases crash or near-crash risk by 23 times.
GHSA continues to have concerns about enforcing text messaging bans. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is expected to begin an enforcement demonstration project later this year which the Association fully supports. GHSA is hopeful that U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood's upcoming summit on distraction and the NHTSA demonstration project will provide a roadmap for developing additional enforcement strategies and countermeasures.
Despite these concerns, GHSA Vice Chairman Lowell Porter is confident that, given all the focus on the issue, effective enforcement solutions are on the horizon. "In the past, there were challenges enforcing seat belt and drunk driving laws. However, the research and highway safety communities collectively worked together and developed successful enforcement programs like Click It or Ticket. I am confident that we can do the same thing with texting bans. GHSA's new policy will help move this process along."
Chairman Betkey noted that this meeting is the first time in a year that GHSA's full membership has met. In that time, texting while driving has gained considerable attention. According to Betkey, "We want to send the strongest message possible about texting behind the wheel--it is dangerous and should not be tolerated."
GHSA's new policy was enacted during its Annual Meeting in Savannah, Georgia. The conference runs through September 2.
-----
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/PRNewswire/ -- The membership of the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) has enacted a new policy encouraging every state to ban texting behind the wheel for all drivers. GHSA Members are appointed by their governors to lead state highway safety agencies.
According to GHSA Chairman Vernon F. Betkey Jr., "The action by the GHSA membership is based on the fact that texting while driving is indisputably a distraction and a serious highway safety problem. If every state passes a texting ban, it will send a message to the public that this dangerous practice is unacceptable. We can begin to change the culture that has permitted distracted driving." Betkey noted the recent study from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute influenced the GHSA membership action. That study indicated that a driver who is texting increases crash or near-crash risk by 23 times.
GHSA continues to have concerns about enforcing text messaging bans. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is expected to begin an enforcement demonstration project later this year which the Association fully supports. GHSA is hopeful that U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood's upcoming summit on distraction and the NHTSA demonstration project will provide a roadmap for developing additional enforcement strategies and countermeasures.
Despite these concerns, GHSA Vice Chairman Lowell Porter is confident that, given all the focus on the issue, effective enforcement solutions are on the horizon. "In the past, there were challenges enforcing seat belt and drunk driving laws. However, the research and highway safety communities collectively worked together and developed successful enforcement programs like Click It or Ticket. I am confident that we can do the same thing with texting bans. GHSA's new policy will help move this process along."
Chairman Betkey noted that this meeting is the first time in a year that GHSA's full membership has met. In that time, texting while driving has gained considerable attention. According to Betkey, "We want to send the strongest message possible about texting behind the wheel--it is dangerous and should not be tolerated."
GHSA's new policy was enacted during its Annual Meeting in Savannah, Georgia. The conference runs through September 2.
-----
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Thursday, August 27, 2009
State, National Traffic Safety Leaders to Convene in Savannah
/PRNewswire/ -- The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and the Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety will host the annual GHSA meeting at The Savannah International Trade & Convention Center August 30-September 2. Approximately 500 top highway safety and public health officials from across the country will be in attendance. The 2009 GHSA conference theme, Toward Zero Deaths: Every Life Counts, focuses on the programs and strategies needed to reduce roadway deaths. This is the vision GHSA believes the country should strive for, with the interim goal of reducing fatalities by half in the next 20 years. The conference will kickoff Monday morning, August 31 and will feature as keynote speakers:
-- The Honorable Deborah A.P. Hersman, Chairman, National Transportation
Safety Board (NTSB). Ms. Hersman will discuss steps states should take
to reduce roadway deaths and injuries. Ms. Hersman was appointed as
NTSB Chairman by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate in July.
This will be her first address before the highway safety community in
her new role as Chairman.
-- James Vondale, Director, Automotive Safety Office, Ford Motor Company.
Mr. Vondale will discuss the role of the automobile industry in
achieving a significant reduction in traffic deaths. He also will talk
about Ford's SYNC hands-free calling system, which the company
believes reduces driver distraction. In a subsequent workshop, Mr.
Vondale will discuss Ford's MyKey tool that allows parents to monitor
their teens driving behavior.
Workshops will address a multitude of traditional and emerging highway safety issues. Topics include:
-- Teen Drivers: Crashes Waiting to Happen
-- New and Cool Highway Safety Technologies
-- Rural Highways Don't Have to be Dieways
-- Getting Aggressive with Motorcycle Safety
-- What's Driving Distracted Driving?
-----
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-- The Honorable Deborah A.P. Hersman, Chairman, National Transportation
Safety Board (NTSB). Ms. Hersman will discuss steps states should take
to reduce roadway deaths and injuries. Ms. Hersman was appointed as
NTSB Chairman by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate in July.
This will be her first address before the highway safety community in
her new role as Chairman.
-- James Vondale, Director, Automotive Safety Office, Ford Motor Company.
Mr. Vondale will discuss the role of the automobile industry in
achieving a significant reduction in traffic deaths. He also will talk
about Ford's SYNC hands-free calling system, which the company
believes reduces driver distraction. In a subsequent workshop, Mr.
Vondale will discuss Ford's MyKey tool that allows parents to monitor
their teens driving behavior.
Workshops will address a multitude of traditional and emerging highway safety issues. Topics include:
-- Teen Drivers: Crashes Waiting to Happen
-- New and Cool Highway Safety Technologies
-- Rural Highways Don't Have to be Dieways
-- Getting Aggressive with Motorcycle Safety
-- What's Driving Distracted Driving?
-----
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Friday, February 27, 2009
Highway Users Bewildered by Administration's Transportation Budget Proposal
/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For attribution to Greg Cohen, President & CEO of The American Highway Users Alliance:
"Apparently, the staff at US Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Office of Management and Budget have not been listening to President Obama and Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood.
"Throughout his campaign and during his inauguration speech, President Obama promoted investment in 'roads and bridges' to keep our country moving. During his confirmation hearing, Secretary LaHood opposed the tolling of existing, toll-free roads. Yet the authors of the Transportation Department's 2010 budget framework must have been out of the office when their bosses were speaking.
"The President's strong support for roads and bridges serves him well. Despite the controversy over the Economic Recovery package, 94% of Americans supported the President's call to increase infrastructure investments. Roads and bridges rank #2 in importance among infrastructure priorities for the American people. And while Congress only provided 3.6% of the Economic Recovery funds for roads and bridges, the President's consistent promotion of highway infrastructure made his views crystal clear.
"Yet the 2010 budget framework for DOT includes no mention of roads, repeals the 87-year old contracting mechanism that guarantees funds for multi-year projects, and mentions 'road pricing' (tolls) as an option for states to deal with the meager funding levels.
"Given all of the stated support for roads and bridges, The Highway Users are mystified by the treatment of highway funding in the FY10 budget framework," said Greg Cohen, President & CEO of The Highway Users.
The budget framework raises four red flags:
1. The proposal implies that the 87-year old budgetary mechanism known as
"contract authority" be deleted from the budget. Without contract
authority, multi-year highway projects cannot be fully-funded.
2. There is no mention of President Obama's support for roads and bridges
anywhere in DOT's budget framework.
3. "Road pricing" is discussed as an option in the budget framework,
despite Secretary LaHood's opposition to tolling existing roads.
4. There is no room in the budget for any substantial increase in highway
funding, despite the President's recent call for investment levels that
would rival the funding for construction of the Interstate Highway
System.
Cohen stated, "Until these issues are resolved, the American Highway Users Alliance will remain deeply concerned about the FY2010 budget framework. We look forward to improvements in the final budget request and sincerely hope that the President and Secretary of Transportation continue to exhibit leadership in promoting roads, bridges, and mobility in the 2010 budget."
-----
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"Apparently, the staff at US Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Office of Management and Budget have not been listening to President Obama and Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood.
"Throughout his campaign and during his inauguration speech, President Obama promoted investment in 'roads and bridges' to keep our country moving. During his confirmation hearing, Secretary LaHood opposed the tolling of existing, toll-free roads. Yet the authors of the Transportation Department's 2010 budget framework must have been out of the office when their bosses were speaking.
"The President's strong support for roads and bridges serves him well. Despite the controversy over the Economic Recovery package, 94% of Americans supported the President's call to increase infrastructure investments. Roads and bridges rank #2 in importance among infrastructure priorities for the American people. And while Congress only provided 3.6% of the Economic Recovery funds for roads and bridges, the President's consistent promotion of highway infrastructure made his views crystal clear.
"Yet the 2010 budget framework for DOT includes no mention of roads, repeals the 87-year old contracting mechanism that guarantees funds for multi-year projects, and mentions 'road pricing' (tolls) as an option for states to deal with the meager funding levels.
"Given all of the stated support for roads and bridges, The Highway Users are mystified by the treatment of highway funding in the FY10 budget framework," said Greg Cohen, President & CEO of The Highway Users.
The budget framework raises four red flags:
1. The proposal implies that the 87-year old budgetary mechanism known as
"contract authority" be deleted from the budget. Without contract
authority, multi-year highway projects cannot be fully-funded.
2. There is no mention of President Obama's support for roads and bridges
anywhere in DOT's budget framework.
3. "Road pricing" is discussed as an option in the budget framework,
despite Secretary LaHood's opposition to tolling existing roads.
4. There is no room in the budget for any substantial increase in highway
funding, despite the President's recent call for investment levels that
would rival the funding for construction of the Interstate Highway
System.
Cohen stated, "Until these issues are resolved, the American Highway Users Alliance will remain deeply concerned about the FY2010 budget framework. We look forward to improvements in the final budget request and sincerely hope that the President and Secretary of Transportation continue to exhibit leadership in promoting roads, bridges, and mobility in the 2010 budget."
-----
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