The federal government’s primary role in transportation – building the interstate highway system – was accomplished decades ago, leaving the current program without a clearly defined goal or purpose. That has resulted in the government taking on responsibility for more and more projects, though many are only loosely linked to general purpose roads and bridges. As much as 35 percent of federal gas tax revenues are diverted away from general purpose roads to projects such as scenic byways, bicycle paths, and transportation museums, which do nothing to improve mobility and reduce congestion. Congress should enact reforms that give states more choice over their transportation dollars, end wasteful diversion of funds, and streamline the project and environmental review process. Such reforms will pave the way for returning responsibility and management of transportation to the states. With full turn back, states will be able to focus on reducing congestion and improving mobility and safety without the constraints of the federal government. They will have the freedom and flexibility to manage their roads and bridges more quickly and in a way that meets their needs.
Transportation Seminar: Randal O’Toole Read More.
President Barack Obama’s high-speed rail program promises to spend hundreds of billions of dollars in federal and state funds to provide mediocre passenger rail service to an extremely small fraction of travelers. Read More.
Spending approximately $50 billion per year on roads and transit systems, the federal program supplements similar volumes of spending by state and local governments, also usually derived from a state-imposed fuel tax. Read More.
America’s truckers are known for their independence, often driving alone in their rigs from one end of the country to the other. Now Congress wants to give them company in the form of an electronic “big brother.” Under a provision buried in the 600-page transportation bill…
Serious pension funding issues have no place being hidden in a transportation funding bill. This is especially true if the pension language could cause an even greater taxpayer bailout of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). Shifting Private Pension Costs to…
Abstract: Wasteful, inequitable, and bristling with burdensome regulations, the Federal Highway Program is in dire need of reform. Although Members of Congress have attempted to enact changes in the past, the influence of many lobbyists and influential constituencies continues to thwart the process. By…
On this week’s Scribecast, Rob Bluey and Lachlan Markay interview Spirit Airlines CEO Ben Baldanza about the company’s opposition to new regulations from the Department of Transportation. The interview runs about 12 minutes. Click here to subscribe to Scribecast, the weekly podcast of the Center for Media and…
As Congress gears up for another year, reining in spending and debt should top the agenda, but one issue heading squarely against that priority is reauthorization of the transportation program. The last transportation bill, SAFETEA-LU, was marked by gluttonous excesses, which ranged from its porcine spending increases and wasteful spending…
We constantly hear that America has an infrastructure crisis and that calamity will result if we don't address it. Inevitably the solution involves the investment of vast sums of taxpayer money. Not surprisingly, most estimates of how extensive the crisis is, and how much it will cost to fix, come…
In October, the Obama Administration took the unprecedented step of revoking funds already awarded to the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to study the feasibility of absorbing the independent turnpike commission, which operates the Ohio Turnpike, into ODOT or leasing the turnpike to private investors. Unfortunately for Ohio, neither option…
As this Congress and President continue their struggle to reauthorize the federal highway program (now more than two years overdue), their focus should be maximizing the value of each dollar spent by directing available funds to programs that improve mobility and safety on the roads. To do this, Congress should…
My name is Ronald. D. Utt. I am the Herbert and Joyce Morgan Senior Research Fellow at The Heritage Foundation. The views I express in this testimony are my own, and should not be construed as representing any official position of The Heritage Foundation. Until recently, federal…
In its request for substantial sums of taxpayer money to move and rebuild Amtrak’s Atlanta train station, the railroad notes that its Atlanta passengers have increased by 16 percent over the past year. But since no more than an average of 308 passengers get on or off the two Amtrak…
Saving the American Dream is The Heritage Foundation’s plan to fix the debt, cut spending and, above all, restore prosperity. It balances the nation’s budget within a decade—and keeps it balanced. It reduces the debt and cuts government…
As is apparent from President Obama’s declining approval ratings, the majority of Americans have lost confidence in the ability of Washington’s leadership to get the economy moving again. More to the point, many now recognize that the $814 billion in spending authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)…
Abstract: President Barack Obama’s high-speed rail program promises to spend hundreds of billions of dollars in federal and state funds to provide mediocre passenger rail service to an extremely small fraction of travelers. In this time of tight budgets, neither the federal government nor…
Revised and updated April 13, 2010 Abstract: President Barack Obama has committed the United States to building at least 13 high-speed rail (HSR) lines, one of the most expensive…
There’s a simple solution to this traffic problem. We’ll have business build the roads and government build the cars. —Will Rogers The quote above, attributed to one of America’s preeminent comedians and social commentators, came at the dawn of the automobile…
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation needs to collect substantial information about aircraft flying in U.S. airspace in order to ensure safety in air travel. The FAA also must share flight data with the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, and law enforcement…
They stab it with their steely knives, But they just can’t kill the beast. —The Eagles, “Hotel California,” 1977 With Congress eliminating spending for the President’s faltering high-speed rail (HSR) program and making cuts in Amtrak’s…
In response to the credit downgrade by Standard & Poor’s in August, the grim reports on the state of the economy, and the collapse of the stock and financial markets in the week after the downgrade, President Barack Obama has re-engaged with the issue of America’s faltering economy and the…
America’s transit systems confront serious financial challenges that will force them to raise fares and reduce service unless they can get better control of their costs. Carrying less than 5 percent of commuters and less than 2 percent of all urban travel and concentrated primarily in large urban areas, these…
Want to cut government spending? Without compromising security? The Ryan budget is a good start, but we can do...…
The U.S. Department of Transportation imposed new regulations on airlines Jan. 24 that were supposed to benefit...…
A District of Columbia city council member is calling on the city’s taxicab commission to allow competition to its...…
Last week, the independent California High-Speed Rail Peer Review Group recommended that the state legislature not...…
On September 26, the Department of Transportation (DOT) published a rule requiring modification of airline Web sites...…
Yesterday, I wrote about the House-passed bill H.R. 2887, which would reauthorize expiring aviation and surface...…
The House passed today H.R. 2887, a bill to reauthorize expiring aviation and surface transportation programs for a...…
President Obama is accustomed to having his way—like trying to dictate the date and time when Congress would assemble...…
Some national business leaders are outright opposing measures of fiscal responsibility. Fortunately, fiscal...…
America’s trucking industry is on pace to pay a whopping $138.7 billion for fuel in 2011 -- an increase of $37.2...…
Director, Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies
Research Associate