The Ferguson Group Blog

Has Resiliency Become the New Name of the Game?

First it was sustainability and now we are seeing a tilt toward “resiliency” linked to much of future federal infrastructure dollars.  In the wake of the first anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) recently announced that it intends to make grant funding available for infrastructure projects that will reduce the risk of damage from extreme weather events.

The new grant program will be modeled after DOT's popular Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program, which as we know has become a highly competitive grant program that awards communities with often significant federal dollars to help fund infrastructure projects of regional and/or national significance. The goal of the new program is to ensure transportation systems continue to provide reliable service even when they are struck by severe weather events. 

Stay tuned for further details as they become available.

Alternative Transportation For Seniors

A recent hearing in the Senate highlighted a new source of transportation for the aging population through a nonprofit transportation system “Independent Transportation Network (ITN) America”.

ITN America relies on volunteers and some paid drivers to transport seniors 60 years and older from their homes to doctor's appointments, grocery stores and social events. Volunteers earn credits to use to pay for rides for members of their family, donate to lower-income seniors or to plan for their own future transit needs. Unlike most existing paratransit services, the program is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  Additionally, no money is exchanged in the vehicle, and tips are not accepted.  Instead riders pre-fund a personal transportation account, and a monthly statement details all payments and charges.

ITN America President Katherine Freund became involved in senior transportation issues in the late 1980s after an 84-year-old driver ran over her 3-year-old son, injuring him. In 2003, with the help of the Atlantic Philanthropies, she was able to launch ITN America which currently has 25 affiliates in 20 states. Affiliates typically use some government money to get going, but are required to be subsidy-free after five years.  

To learn more about ITN America or to check if there is a program in your community, go to: http://itnamerica.org/

 

Could the Virginia transportation funding model help the Highway Trust Fund?

Congress continues to explore ways to pay for transportation projects as the Highway Trust Fund, which pays for U.S. road, bridge and mass-transit projects, faces insolvency. Revenue into the trust fund, primarily from U.S. fuel taxes, has declined as cars have become more fuel-efficient and Americans are driving less because of higher gasoline prices, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Virginia recently enacted a new transportation plan that replaces Virginia's 17.5 cent-per-gallon tax on gasoline with a new 3.5 percent wholesale tax on gasoline that will keep pace with economic growth and inflation, along with increasing the state’s sales tax. The new wholesale tax is estimated to bring in $5.9 billion for transportation projects over the next five years. The idea of a wholesale tax on motor fuels would likely solve one of the central problems facing the Highway Trust Fund by naturally adjusting for inflation. Taxing a percentage of wholesale motor fuels costs would boost revenue as prices rise without forcing lawmakers to revisit the question to raise taxes.

While some lawmakers support raising the motor fuels tax, it has been difficult to gain enough congressional support to raise taxes. Other proposals to offset the Highway Trust Fund have included introducing a percentage highway fee that is paid for at the factory level or a vehicle-mileage tax.

 

How to Pay for the Next Transportation Bill

The current transportation authorization bill (“MAP-21”) expires next year. A recently-released report from the Congressional Research Service (CRS) says that if Congress were to pass a six-year transportation reauthorization bill that increases spending on surface transportation programs in line with inflation, it would need to fill a nearly $80 billion gap. With more fuel efficient vehicles and reliance on public transit, just raising the gas tax isn’t going to cut it, so what are some other options?

The CRS report lists some options. Like in Virginia, a federal motor fuels tax could be assessed as a percentage of the retail price of fuel instead of a fixed amount per gallon. There is also the vehicle miles traveled option that would track and charge you for the number of miles you put on your car. This option raises privacy and fairness concerns however. How about expanding the use of tolls on federal highways? That option has its share of detractors as well.

Congress certainly has its hands full as it looks for ways to bolster the highway trust fund to help pay for our aging infrastructure. The clock is ticking…

Infrastructure Funding: Keep Their Feet to the Fire

The current transportation authorization expires in September 2014, at which point the Highway Trust Fund, which pays for road and transit programs, will face a shortfall.

Senator Barbara Boxer , who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee remains hopeful that that widespread acknowledgement of the infrastructure investment crisis will lead to consensus on a long-term funding measure for transportation projects. "I just believe that we can do this. We can set aside some of our deep differences and we can do this because business, labor, the public wants this. They see what's happening," said Boxer this week.

There are no easy answers when it comes to finding the resources to fund infrastructure in our Country, but Congress may be forced to action if communities and industry hold their elected officials’ feet to the fire, so keep up the pressure!

Those Streets are Sooooo Last Century…

If your residents are saying that about streets in your community, it is time for you to check out the National Association of City Transportation Officials’ newly-released Urban Street Design Guide, a “blueprint for 21st century streetscape.”

NACTO has done the tough work ofcompiling the innovative practices that will make for  streets that are safe, sustainable, resilient, multi-modal, economically beneficial, and do the ever important job of accommodating traffic!

This TIGER is Small but Mighty

The fifth round of TIGER was announced last week. It was the smallest yet — the  program got $1.5 billion when it was created in the 2009 stimulus package and has decreased with each new round, with this one coming in at just under a third of that original amount.  Even at this lower funding level, it still supported funding for 52 road, bridge, port, pedestrian,  and rail projects.

Check out a full list of the 52 TIGER grants or more information on each project, which trended toward port projects ($104 million) and rail-related projects (just over $200 million).

Look for the Administration to talk up these major infrastructure investments, with Vice President Joe Biden scheduled to visit the Port of Baltimore today to  highlight  their $10,000,000 award and to discuss the importance of infrastructure investments to improving America’s competitiveness.

Infrastructure Advocacy Made Easier Through Apps

With just over one week of the August Congressional Recess remaining, you may want to consider providing some feedback to your Members of Congress before they return to DC. Luckily,  the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) has just made it very easy to do so.  ARTBA’s new “Transportation Construction Advocate App” allows the public  “to communicate with their elected officials about the importance of transportation investment to the U.S. economy and the need to fix the Highway Trust Fund.” It includes info on Members of Congress, talking points about highway funding for use during the break, and text notifications for news developments.

This cool new app follows on the heels of the “I’m Stuck” App from Building America’s Future, which I told you about last month, is available for both Android and Apple devices and can be downloaded through Google Play or iTunes.

 

Time to Feed the Tigers

Congressman Rick Larsen (D-WA) recently introduced a new twist on the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program. Ever since Congress established TIGER as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, about three-quarters of funds have gone to large cities and statewide projects and the remaining quarter has been set aside for rural cities. As a result, small and medium-sized cities, with small and medium-sized projects really haven’t had a seat at the TIGER table. Congressman Larsen’s new bill, “The Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery for Cities Underfunded Because Of Size” (TIGER CUBS) Act of 2013 proposes to change all that by setting aside 20 percent of special transportation infrastructure funding specifically for smaller cities. Under the bill, small and medium-sized cities will get a dedicated piece of the pie. The bill would ensure that communities with a population between 10,000 and 50,000 can compete for TIGER CUBS grants for projects as small as $2 million.

While this bill is a great new vehicle for small and medium-sized cities to get smaller road, bridge and highway projects funded, it won’t go far without a lot of support. If you are interested in seeing the TIGER CUBS program feed a dedicated stream of federal dollars to small and medium sized cities, contact me to learn how your community can support this new legislation.

Yes, There’s Even an App for That

Beginning today, you can take out some of your transportation frustration by notifying Congress that you’re stuck and unhappy about it!  

This week both the House and Senate are considering their very different versions of the fiscal year 2014 Transportation and HUD Appropriations bill and the debate over federal investment in transportation infrastructure is heating up, so there’s no better time to download the newly released  “I’m Stuck” App from Building America’s Future.  The App allows you to take a photo of your crowded subway platform or interstate and send a note expressing your frustration to your Member of Congress. Click here for the free iOS and Android download.

Building America's Future Educational Fund is a bipartisan coalition of elected officials dedicated to bringing about a new era of U.S. investment in infrastructure.