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AGC, ARTBA COMMENT ON REPORT TO CONGRESS

The National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission’s report to Congress - Transportation for Tomorrow - has been called “bold and visionary” by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) for providing a thorough and comprehensive vision and framework for the future of surface transportation policy in the United States.

“The nation is at a crossroads, and Americans know that our transportation system is aging, over-crowded, and in some cases literally crumbling,” says Stephen E. Sandherr, AGC’s chief executive officer. “For nearly two years the Commission tackled these tough issues and weighed disparate views and, by placing the national interest above parochial concerns, carefully developed a bold vision for the future of our nation’s surface transportation network.

“This report links the future growth in the system to achieving measurable national goals by scrapping the current system to advance areas of clear national interest, such as system maintenance, congestion relief, rural connectivity, freight transportation, safety, energy security and environmental stewardship,” Sandherr continues.

The Commission outlines a plan that will accommodate and enhance future economic growth. The plan addresses inefficiencies in the federal system, and it focuses on an evolving user fee that better represents the actual cost of planning, building and maintaining the nation’s transportation system.

The report recommends reforming and refocusing the system to maximize the impact of future investments. The reformed program would focus on national interests, holding funding recipients accountable for strict standards of performance, requiring cost benefit analysis, removal of wasteful bureaucratic steps in the process, and ensuring that transportation partners at the local, state and national level continue and increase their support for transportation.