U.S. Infrastructure Needs More Than a Stimulus

The U.S. Government has allotted more than $20 billion of the $26.6 billion available for highway, road and bridge projects as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. While these funds have prompted a short-term focus on infrastructure projects, the funding represents just 3.3 percent of the total $787 billion stimulus package enacted by the White House in February. This small amount will do little to address the dire need for expansion and repair of our National Highway System (NHS).

Our nation needs a much larger, long-term investment in highway infrastructure. By 2020, economists expect more than a 26 percent increase in overall freight tonnage. Our nation's ability to efficiently move this freight will have a tremendous effect on our economy. Inefficiencies currently plague our transportation system. Last year alone, Americans wasted $87 billion in the form of 2.8 billion gallons of fuel and 4.2 billion hours because of traffic congestion. This cost will only go up as the economy rebounds and freight traffic increases.

Implementing a national approach that first addresses the nation's worst traffic bottlenecks, as listed by the Federal Highway Administration, will improve the flow of freight and have the greatest benefit for taxpayers. As proposed in the House Surface Transportation Authorization Act, a national strategic plan that defines the federal role in meeting transportation needs will improve delivery of infrastructure projects by primarily investing in those of national importance. Also, federal government should tie infrastructure investment to system performance by requiring recipients of federal funds to meet performance standards related to safety, infrastructure condition, congestion reduction and emissions.

Meeting the transportation challenges of the 21st Century is critical to the long-term prosperity of the United States. As our population and economy grows, a national transportation policy that focuses on efficiency, safety, congestion reduction, and the improvement of freight movement around our nation's worst bottlenecks will facilitate economic growth and help our industries compete in the global economy.