Provocative billboards are part of a $1 million media campaign by the Laborers’ International Union of North America pressing Congress to pass a long-term highway bill this year. (Images courtesy of LIUNA)
Not wanting to mess with success, the Senate Environment and Public Works committee delivered the policy portion of a six-year surface transportation reauthorization late Monday.
The plan essentially extends MAP-21 – the generally well-received current federal funding program – maintaining spending levels for highways and transit while allowing for increases due to inflation. Spending on federal-aid highway programs would grow from $38.4 billion in 2015 to $42.6 billion in 2020.
Along with the spending comes a call for “greater transparency” on the use of federal funds “to show taxpayers where their infrastructure dollars are being spent and reinforce public trust,” according to the EPW summary.
Additionally, the bill includes some adjustments to the federal freight program established under MAP-21, changes designed to make it “formula-based” and to expand flexibility for rural and urban areas – representatives of which have questioned the initial regional corridors – to also designate key freight corridors.
Spending for the freight program would grow rapidly, from $400 million in 2015 to $2 billion by 2020.
