DC Velocity - March 2011

bigpicture

Peter Bradley
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Executive Editor
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Mark Solomon
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James Cooke
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Steve Geary
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George Weimer
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Erica E. Mac Donald
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Columnists:
Clifford F. Lynch
Don Jacobson
Shelly Safian
Kenneth B. Ackerman
Art Van Bodegraven
Barry Brandman

A new bridge to nowhere?

Gary Master Publisher gmaster@dcvelocity.com Mitch Mac Donald Group Editorial Director mitch@dcvelocity.com Jim Indelicato Group Publisher jindelicato@dcvelocity.com EDITORIAL OFFICE Tower Square, Number 4 500 East Washington Street North Attleboro, MA 02760

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RAY LAHOOD MAY BE ONE OF THE FEW OPTIMISTS LEFT IN Washington.

In January, the Secretary of Transportation told the SMC3 winter meeting in Atlanta that he believes prospects are good for Congress’s passing a new surface transportation bill by the August recess.

I’m not sure what the odds are of a sharply divided Congress coming to
terms on such a major funding authorization, but I would suspect they are
long. Even though most federal spending on highways comes from the
highway trust fund, it seems inevitable that the measure will get caught up
in the fierce debate over budget deficits. In fact, a rule adopted by the new
The road to passing a new highway bill has already
been a rough one. The previous law—the Safe,
Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity
Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU)—expired at
the end of September 2009, and only short-term exten-
sions have kept the law alive.

Yet LaHood remains optimistic. As reported previously in DC VELOCITY, he based his optimism partly on his own long experience as a Republican member of the House and his expectation that members of Congress will understand the productivity and economic benefits that come with infrastructure investment. “There are no Republican or Democratic runways. There are no Republican or Democratic highways. There are no Republican or Democratic bridges,” he told the SMC3 gathering.

On top of that, LaHood, who was a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee while in Congress, has worked closely with its new chairman, Rep. John Mica of Florida. Mica told The Wall Street Journal that he wants to shield infrastructure spending from the stark austerity Republicans promise for long-term federal spending programs. (He opposed the rule eliminating the firewall, while supporting the overall rules change package.) President Obama also highlighted the importance of infrastructure investment in his most recent State of the Union address.

Let’s hope LaHood’s optimism is warranted. Passage of a comprehensive long-term bill is essential for a number of reasons. Not least of all, business supply chains depend on a reliable transportation network, and the efficiency of that network is critical to U.S. competitiveness. Few disagree, but getting to yes will be hard.