Transportation Infrastructure in Obama 2nd Term May Face Bumpy Road Ahead

 

Now that the presidential campaign is behind us and the impact of Superstorm Sandy remains top of mind, Fleet News Daily recommends that now is the time for the Obama Administration to consider what’s next for the nation’s transportation network.

After all, much of the infrastructure for the U.S. transportation system dates back to the mid-1900s and in some cases even further back than that.  At issue is an extensive web of highways, bridges and tunnels that is sadly in need of repair.  The good news is that updating the system should spur job growth and investment – a boon to public and private sector workers alike.

That said, the challenges are daunting.  By some estimates, nearly 150,000 bridges are in need of major repair and many are simply obsolete.  At the same time, federal transportation aid to the states derived from gas tax revenues are declining and the Highway Trust Fund may be insolvent within two years.  With that as a context, President Obama has provided few specifics on transportation policy and how the country can fund repairs while remedying the looming debt crisis according to recent data from FreedomDebtRelief.com.

So what’s needed?

First, the President and his team must reignite a comprehensive transportation plan.  Second, Mr. Obama and his team have to consider all options to fund it, including the possibility of raising the gas tax – which currently stands at 18.4 cents per gallon and hasn’t been touched in nearly two decades.  Third, the new Republican Congress and the Democratic Senate must put partisan politics aside and pass a comprehensive transportation plan that would extend the life of the Highway Trust Fund. Fourth, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood should make certain that the $787 million that he announced in July to modernize and replace aging transit facilities and vehicles is rolling smoothly and quantify the number of Americans jobs it is creating.  Fifth, U.S. fleet managers and owners should continue to press the need for infrastructure repair at the local, state and federal levels.

In sum, the challenges are quite real but with an ample dose of political will from a newly re-elected President Obama, we are hopeful that transportation will once again get back on the road to repair, recovery and improvement.  It’s time to roll.

 

**********************

 

Tags: infrastructure, President Obama, Ray LaHood

Category: Management