My message to the National Infrastructure Forum: Obama Administration meets transportation challenges

Yesterday, I spoke with attendees of the National Infrastructure Forum held by Building America's Future (BAF) about how our Recovery Act projects are putting people back to work, revitalizing our transportation infrastructure, and helping the American economy get back on track.

BAF, a bipartisan coalition, is "dedicated to bringing about a new era of U.S. investment in infrastructure that enhances our nation's prosperity and quality of life." Their goal is simple: to treat infrastructure funding like a national priority.

Building America's Future understands, as does President Obama, that infrastructure investment is crucial for ensuring public safety, maintaining our quality of life, and supporting our economic competitiveness.

As former Congressman Dick Gephardt said at yesterday's forum, "It's not just the jobs created in building the infrastructure; it's the jobs that are supported by the infrastructure. You cannot have a modern economy without competent infrastructure."

Now, when President Obama took the oath of office, not only was the economy shedding 750,000 jobs every month. We also faced a number of infrastructure needs left mostly unaddressed for decades.

Bridges deteriorated. The daily commute grew longer, more congested, and more expensive.  Airport delays dragged on and on. Americans were calling for more affordable, more efficient, more sustainable options about how to get from one place to another--not instead of, but in addition to, our state-of-the-art highways.

America’s infrastructure was challenged, and this Administration has been working tirelessly to answer that challenge.

For example, during this Recovery Summer alone, we're repairing more than 30,000 miles of American roadway.

But we're doing more than just fixing what we've already built. A half-century ago, President Eisenhower signed legislation establishing the interstate highway system. Today, President Obama and Vice President Biden have put us in the same place with high speed passenger rail to revitalize cities, attract economic activity, and make America's infrastructure--once again--the envy of the world and a magnet for global businesses.

We also know from our experience with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that infrastructure spending is a great source of job creation. By the end of the year, the Recovery Act will have saved or created over 3.5 million good-paying American jobs--jobs that can't be outsourced abroad.

So the follow-on to the $48 billion in transportation stimulus is a good, long-term transportation bill. We need a blueprint for America's transportation infrastructure and the jobs that infrastructure work will create.

We've had a lot of discussion so far about what that bill will look like and how we're going to fund the investment we need. And that discussion must continue to look at innovative ways to pay for the necessary work ahead.

I look forward to working with Congress, with Building America's Future, and with other stakeholders to transform that discussion into a transportation system we can all be proud of.

This shouldn’t be about politics. This shouldn't be about pitting people on the left against people on the right. This is about whether our economy goes up or goes down. This is about whether we have a transportation system that moves us forward or one that holds us back.

Comments

[auto transportation]

That is great news if the government forces the building of new infrastructure and/or rebuilding the the existing one especially Interstates and Highways. As trucking company owner I can definitely see the need for that action and the as the former Congressman Dick Gephardt said: "It's not just the jobs created in building the infrastructure; it's the jobs that are supported by the infrastructure. You cannot have a modern economy without competent infrastructure."
I like the way this gentleman thinks and this is the right away.

[Rob]

Dead-on, Mr. Secretary.

Let's see the types of investments that " . . . will once again make America's infrastructure--once again--the envy of the world and a magnet for global businesses." We have a great roadway network and it should be maintained. Transit - not express busses running in mixed traffic on new highway capacity, but real transit like rail and *true* BRT - makes economic sense. Transit also supports improved public health and environmental outcomes. Our rail freight infrastructure needs to receive greater emphasis. Our interurban rail systems need to be established and/or improved or expanded. Our suburban job centers neeed to be connected using either *real* BRT or rail where trip densities can support it.

For too long we have settled on building what we can get the money to build - roads - and for too long we have suffered sub-optimal results on many levels. We need to invest strategically and with the clarity of vision made possible through an honest appraisal of the effectiveness of our transportation investments made over the past several decades. How is it that America's infrastructure is no longer the envy of the world, as it was with the advent of the Interstate System?

What do we need to do differently moving forward? What 21st century imperatives must guide us, and what measures of success should be applied in evaluating the continuing effectiveness of our major transportation investments? As you have astutely noted, "This shouldn't be about pitting people on the left against people on the right. This is about whether our economy goes up or goes down. This is about whether we have a transportation system that moves us forward or one that holds us back."

We been getting held back for the past few decades based on an invvestment strategy largely focused on highway expansion projects. While our highways have served us well, the economic return on expansions has eroded severely, as has the survivability of the benefits associated with such projects. VTPI research demonstrates that the benefits associated with expansion projects erode in five years or less. Clearly, that is a major investment strategy that does not make economic sense. HSR, freight rail improvements, interurban rail, and some true BRT, where appropriate? Absolutely. Urban add-a-lanes, express busses running on new highway capacity, and other "let's build somthing rather than nothing" projects? NO, it's time to drop those anchors that have been holding us back. Rather than simply build what we can build with the money we have (highway lanes), let's implement congestion pricing on all existing lanes and use it to fund the best investments we can make while at the same time improving travel times for highway users by getting large numbers of people off of the highway and into transit.

Are we going to move forward or simply continue our slide into the deep abyss of global irrelevance?

[Marasoiu Marian Puiu]

Heloo!
I am very good impresion of the staff who rule the departament transportation becose alwyashaqve the best [program to absorb jobs need for the very much peoples and bring the viabile project in infrastucture american.Because yoiu not have a stron infrastructure you not can moved fast and eficient in every corner of Unitet States.I note that the preside4nt you nomine the best departament who is very necessary in the neear future.Keep this working in this way and you win in the future the best infrastucture arowund of the world.
Sincerly,
Mr.Marasoiu Marian Puiu
fondator Freedomilenium&Linkedin Concern

[Bob Jones]

Secretary LaHood is iconic, this man should have been President!!!! Thank you for thinking about my childs future, This is the thinking we need to avoiid all of the other long term train wrecks waiting to happen (no pun intended) with Social security, health care, and so much more: Draft LaHood, 2012 for President!!!

[Greg Shafer]

If we're going to talk about infrastructure improvement, let's not talk about ARRA. Paving roads that still had 10 years of life left and replacing guardrails is not about infrastructure improvement, it's about pure stimulus. The ARRA really missed the mark for transportation improvement as it required money to be allocated too quickly to identify and prepare projects that would really make a change in how our infrastructure performs.

The TIGER grants were much better, but there wasn't enough money allocated to make a difference. When a project needs $200 M to be a "go", and only gets $10 M, it's nearly worthless.

[Aaron]

Yes we do need a blueprint for America's transportation infrastructure and the great jobs that infrastructure work will create. Thanks for this great post.

[c.a.olson]

"Today, President Obama and Vice President Biden have put us in the same place with high speed passenger rail to revitalize cities, attract economic activity, and make America's infrastructure--once again--the envy of the world and a magnet for global businesses."

Seriously?! With all due respect, there isn't any use in standing up a dead horse to ride off into the sunset. There are a total of zero economically viable passenger rail systems in the United States that do not require significant infusions of subsidies at the local, state or federal level. In addition, passenger rail has been shown repeatedly to have a little, if any, economic benefit or significant effect on congestion or myriad of supposed benefits. To go a step further, most passenger rail lines in major cities are decrepit and falling to pieces due to neglect by way of postponed maintenance due to budgetary constraints. Throw in the generous, if not in some cases outrageous, employee pay packages (often at the public taxpayer's expense) and all you are planning on doing is creating another government-fueled disaster in waiting. Fortunately, most of the politicians, regulators and bureaucrats pushing this agenda will not be in power nor will they be standing to pick up the pieces when the toy breaks.

So what are we supposed to do? Are we to be happy that our own government is on a spending spree, building more boondoggles that we're going to fork out more cash down the road to fix after it has been neglected (despite the significant amounts of tax monies paid to keep it up during that time)? All rhetorical questions. Hopefully you get the point.

[L. E. Alba]

The public doesn't seem to realize that if our nation's grandchildren expect to enjoy relatively unrestricted travel 75 years years hence (just three generations away) then high-speed rail development is mandatory and not merely an alternative. It's not wild speculation---it's hard facts and it's in the numbers. I'm told that those who fail to plan, plan to fail. Sound like any civilzation you know?

[Torrent Download]

For too long we have settled on building what we can get the money to build - roads - and for too long we have suffered sub-optimal results on many levels. We need to invest strategically and with the clarity of vision made possible through an honest appraisal of the effectiveness of our transportation investments made over the past several decades. How is it that America's infrastructure is no longer the envy of the world, as it was with the advent of the Interstate System.