In This Issue

	Congress Holds Funds
	Tenn. Bill to Allow Tolls Moves Forward
	Property Tax Increase to Repair Roads
	Poll: Modest Support for NYC Congestion Pricing
	IDOT Announces Program for School Kids' Safety
	Alaska Plans Hwy. Program to Fund Projects
	Maui Citizens to Propel Highway Project
	Transportation Bill Restricts DOT's Powers
	Detroiters Looking for Better Mass Transit

Congress Holds Funds

WASHINGTON - House and Senate appropriators' decision to include a provision in the fiscal 2007 emergency spending bill conference report has drawn strong opposition from Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman James L. Oberstar of Minnesota. The provision authorizes federal highway dollars to fund emergency road repairs in other regions.

The $124.2 billion emergency spending proposition filed this week included $683 million to pay for excess projects through the FHWA's Emergency Relief program. The Senate had originally earmarked $389 million for the program, which funds road repairs following natural disasters.

The emergency road funding would be offset through the provision by rescinding the states' highway contract authority, to which Oberstar seriously objected. He encouraged House appropriators to reject the provision in a letter to Legislators Monday evening. "The rescission of contract authority is the exclusive jurisdiction of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure," Oberstar wrote. It is not necessary to offset the highway funds because they are designated as emergency funds, he said.

Tenn. Bill to Allow Tolls Moves Forward

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A bill to create a new toll road authority in Tennessee was approved by the House Transportation Committee Tuesday. The legislation would not require toll roads be built anywhere, but it would give communities the option of tolls for projects that aren't high state's construction agenda, said the bill's sponsor, Phillip Pinion, D-Union City, and chairman of the transportation committee.

There will be two initial projects under the authority, in currently undetermined locations. Gov. Phil Bredesen and Transportation Commissioner Jerry Nicely are both in favor of the proposal. "We just want another option," said Nicely after the bill passed the Public Transportation and Highways Subcommittee earlier this month.

Gov. Bredesen acknowledged that the state's 21.4 cent gasoline tax may have to be increased over the next few years to make up for shortfalls, partially due to decreases in federal funding. He said toll roads may be a way to relieve some of that pressure.

Property Tax Increase to Repair Roads

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - Property taxes in Santa Cruz County, California may be on the rise to pay for paving projects on local roads, if voters approve the $25 increase proposed by the county's Public Works Department. A recent county report shows the area is facing a $90 million deficit for paving projects on approximately 600 miles of unincorporated roads.

The study released Tuesday states that according to recent trends, the county will be facing a backlog of $140 million over the next seven years. Lack of state funding and a repealed utility tax have contributed to the funding shortfall, according to department officials. Their plan would raise the unincorporated county parcel tax that currently funds road repairs from $56 per parcel to $81 per parcel annually.

Another transportation tax for the county is also under consideration which would raise the county's sales tax to pay for $600 million in construction projects. The tax, proposed by the 69-member Transportation Funding Task Force, would raise sales taxes by one-half-cent over the next 35 years, and could join the property tax bill on the November 2008 ballots.

Poll: Modest Support for NYC Congestion Pricing

NEW YORK - The New York City mayor's congestion pricing plan appears to have the support of local residents, according to a recent online poll by Crain's. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has proposed imposing up to an $8 surcharge for cars to drive into Manhattan during peak hours; trucks would pay $21. That's an extra $160 a month, or almost $2,000 a year for nearly every commuter who drives into Manhattan below 86th Street between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. during the week.

Of the 1,150 survey respondents, 53% said they supported the plan, and 43% said congestion pricing is needed to decrease the gridlock in the city. "I have seen this work effectively in London, and there is no reason for this not to work in New York City," said Geo Carol Kaplan. Other respondents said the fee would help decrease pollution and city travel times.

The congestion pricing discussions have ignited a frenzy of opposition among politicians, residents, and small business owners in the outer boroughs. Some say it will drive away business. A common complaint from survey respondents was that the surcharge is a tax the wealthy Manhattan-based residents are imposing on the working class. Most of the 47% of opposing respondents said the surcharge was unfair to small business owners and residents who are required to drive into the city.

This is easy to talk about but will be harder to implement. "Working well" in London is in the eye of the beholder. 53% support is pretty tepid when implementing something this big. Akin to the Detroit article below about transit support for going to concerts etc. In Salt Lake City before we rebuilt I-15 over 70% of those polled said they supported transit as an alternative for commuting on I-15 during construction. When asked if they would actually ride transit themselves the support dropped to less than 5%. The message- "I support better transit alternatives for the other guy so that I can drive my SUV." Fast forwarding the movie to today we see that the transit ridership on Salt Lake City's light rail system is at record levels and in multiples of what was predicted. Salt Lake is strongly supports transit, which is good. TW

IDOT Announces Program for School Kids' Safety

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Illinois Department of Transportation Acting Secretary Milton R. Sees announced today $23 million is available to fund projects that encourage and enable students to safely walk and bike to school. The new Safe Routes to School Program (SRTS) is a federally funded initiative that will fund projects in Illinois schools and communities over the next three years. Program funds may be used for infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects, and are 100% funded, requiring no local match.

"One of the most important things about this program is the fact it offers communities a safe way to help children incorporate physical activity in their every day lives," said Acting Secretary Sees. "I want to encourage communities to utilize this program that will not only provide additional exercise for children but puts safety first, providing parents the peace of mind in knowing their kids have a safe route to get to school."

This national movement of the FHWA works to increase student physical activity and safety, reduce traffic congestion around schools and enhance air quality. The program is designed to help communities make walking and bicycling to school a safer and more appealing alternative, by facilitating the planning, development, and implementation of projects and activities that will improve safety, and reduce traffic, fuel consumption, and air polution in the vicinity of primary and middle schools.

DOT's find that thoughtful use of the enhancement program and things like this "safe sidewalk" initiative promote goodwill, improve safety and bring many tangible and intangible benefits to their agency. They are a small investment in a much larger benefit to the DOT. TW

Alaska Plans Hwy. Program to Fund Projects

Alaska - Alaska is about to become the 50th state in the nation to develop a highway program to generate funding for road construction projects. The programs use money generated locally to build highways. Alaska DOT officials say they would ideally need $150 million to $200 million annually to pay for the program. The state's current construction agenda for the next three years requires at least $1.5 billion.

"There are a number of things we have to deal with," said John MacKinnon, deputy commissioner of DOT highways and public facilities. "The general public isn't used to paying its own way in the state. They're used to entitlements and earmarks. We've lost sight of how we used to do it."

Currently, the state's transportation projects are largely paid for with federal funding and, to a lesser extent, with bonds approved by voters. The Legislature issues appropriations to match federal dollars and pay for some road projects. However, these funding sources are inconsistent, and federal funding is diminishing, making planning hard.

Transportation officials hope to offer their plan, which may require statute changes and a constitutional amendment, to the governor by the next legislative session. If approved, it could be finalized within two years.

Maui Citizens to Propel Highway Project

LAHAINA, Hawaii - Maui residents are being urged by the Hawaii Department of Transportation to get involved in the planning process for the realignment of West Maui's main thoroughfare. At the first of three public meetings last Thursday, Deputy Transportation Director Brennon Morioka said input is needed from residents who will be using Honoapiilani Highway from Maalaea to Launiupoko.

At the meeting Thursday night, Morioka willingly accepted criticism and laughed with the crowd when West Maui residents asked whether the planned Honoapiilani Highway widening and realignment would take over 40 years to begin, as the Lahaina Bypass has.

The Hawaii DOT has plans for a grassroots task force to assist the agency through the planning and the preparation of an environmental impact statement in three years. Morioka hopes with the apparent support of the community, the EIS process could be done by mid-2010, two years earlier than the agency has completed such documents in the past. "This project is a tremendous leap, out of the box, for the Department of Transportation," said Morioka.

Transportation Bill Restricts DOT’s Powers

AUSTIN - A comprehensive transportation bill unveiled to Texas lawmakers in a recent Senate hearing would limit the powers of the state department of transportation in awarding private toll road contracts and by allowing regional authorities more say about projects in their area. The far-reaching bill represents weeks of negotiations among legislators and state transportation officials, who have been scrutinized recently for the way toll road contracts have been awarded to private companies.

"Its purpose is to reform the excesses of prior legislation and to fine-tune the various tools available to us in the years ahead," said the bill's sponsor, Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, the Senate Transportation Committee Chair. A key part of the bill is a provision which would allow TxDOT to delegate road-developing powers to the 24 metropolitan planning organizations in the state, which set priorities for road projects in their regions. State transportation officials say they would gladly delegate more power to the regional authorities if it would accelerate projects which have fallen behind because of the state's multi-billion-dollar transportation funding deficit.

A two-year moratorium on private tollways, with the exception of several North Texas projects, is included in the bill. A separate House-approved moratorium proposal passed unanimously in the committee last week.

Detroiters Looking for Better Mass Transit

DETROIT - Four out of five metropolitan Detroit residents would love the opportunity to travel to area concerts, restaurants, art venues and grocers without using their cars, a recent study shows. The poll conducted online by Issue Media Group and United Way for Southeastern Michigan made it very apparent that locals would like a better rapid transit system.

"It's so clear that people are saying 'public transportation,'" said Kurt Metzger, director of research for the United Way for Southeastern Michigan and creator of the survey. The poll, which received over 1,000 respondents, was created by Metzger as part of One D, a coalition established last year to develop a comprehensive plan to solve some of the region's problems.