Transportation Solutions and the Federal Role |
|---|
|
Mortimer Downey, United States Deputy Secretary of Transportation
June 9, 1999
Transportation Solutions and the Federal Role
Remarks by
Deputy Secretary of Transportation Mortimer Downey
Traffic Congestion: A Global Perspective
New Strategies for Moving People and Goods in the 21st Century
An MIT Conference sponsored with the Ford Motor Company
Wong Auditorium in Tang Center
MIT Campus, Cambridge, MA
June 9, 1999
12 noon
Thank you, Dan (Daniel Roos, Associate Dean for Engineering Systems), and good Afternoon. It is great to be back in Cambridge.
We are fortunate not only to hold this conference in the region’s leading financial, governmental and transportation hub, but we are also fortunate to have the MIT Cooperative Mobility Program (CMP) as a key player in thinking about the consequences of the transportation system we hve inflicted on ourselves.
The Clinton Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation are in agreement with the Cooperative Mobility Program’s vision that the sustainable, multimodal transportation system is the measure of success. Just as Dr. Roos’ book, The Machine that Changed the World, influenced the way automobiles are manufactured in the U.S., I believe that we can put our innovative ideas, our research, and our resources together to change and greatly improve the way our transportation systems operate. And, I believe we can do this without sacrificing either mobility or our environment.
Traffic congestion and air quality are becoming major challenges that require solutions not only for our largest metropolitan areas, but for mid-size cities as well. Cities that were once considered the most-desired places to live or for businesses to locate to – place like Atlanta, Denver, or Milwaukee – are now seeking ways to unclog their increasingly congested roadways and regain their quality of life.
Daily congestion begins earlier and lasts longer for many Americans, and weekend traffic problems on major interstates that once peaked in July and August now persist from May until October.
Our highway and our rail systems are fragile and in need of modernization and improvement. For example, last week, rush-hour train riders in Washington, DC could not get home due to storm-related signal problems in Florida. We have a 60's vintage interchange called the "mixing bowl," that has been the site of numerous fatal – and avoidable – crashes, including last week’s rollover of a truck loaded with black explosive powder for fireworks. Construction has begun to fix the problem, but it will take several years to complete.
Last winter, just before the holidays, a person threatening to jump off the Wilson Bridge between Virginia and Maryland illustrated just how many thousands of travelers are dependent on fragile transport links. The man was saved after jumping, but many people were stuck in traffic for an entire evening, missing child care and other appointments and frankly seemed ready to jump in after him.
Overseas, congestion in cities and air quality are becoming major challenges as we enter the 21st century.
Are we at a critical juncture where congestion is disrupting personal mobility, the movement of freight, the economic productivity of cities, and the environment? I think the answer is a resounding "YES."
Because they are so key to the economy and to people’s lives, elected officials are focusing increasingly on transportation issues. Last Spring, Governor Roy Barnes of Georgia created the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, which will have sweeping power over all transportation projects in more than a dozen counties. Some refer to the new entity as "Give Roy Total Authority." Georgia stands to lose federal highway funds if it does not improve its air quality, but more importantly, it has lost its cachet as part of the progressive New South.
Solving our nation’s -- and the world’s -- traffic congestion problems will require action on multiple fronts, such as:
• Considering land use and environmental issues, as well as public opinion, before planning transportation projects;
• Investing in rail modernization and equipment upgrades that will make rail travel and shipping more attractive.
• Investing in public transportation, including transit, light rail, buses and water taxis – not just for major metropolitan areas, but for mid-size cities as well. Today, we’re announcing a new initiative for Bus Rapid Transit on dedicated rights-of-way in order to get development underway faster.
• Using ITS and new technologies to ease traffic congestion is part of the solution; and so are
• Employment strategies, such as the alternative work schedule and telecommuting as well as economic strategies like Commuter Choice and value pricing.
While building or expanding highways is called for in some parts of the country, doing so is definitely NOT the only answer everywhere. In metro areas across the nation, we are finding that if you widen the roads, the drivers will come and cause more gridlock. Motorists switch from other routes expecting to save time or abandon mass transit for their cars.
While the Federal government is an important player in resolving our congestion and other transportation problems, we cannot do it alone. We need the state, county and local governments, the academic community, and the private sector to work with us in sharing project costs and in making the most of the decisions.
ITS and the Potential of Technology
The Department of Transportation has a clear strategy for improving transportation safety and relieving traffic congestion. Our challenge is to look ahead into the new century and consider how we can maximize the use of technology to build and operate safer, more efficient transportation systems. Developing Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and the application of technology are important parts of our strategy.
Technology can help us manage our transportation systems, improving the reliability of travel times, avoiding or reducing delays from congestion, and enhancing user satisfaction and quality of life. Over the years, technology has also demonstrated its usefulness by enhancing the crash-worthiness of vehicles. Today, state-of-the-art technology presents great potential for augmenting human performance to avoid crashes altogether, further improving transportation safety, and indirectly reducing congestion that occurs as a consequence of crashes.
More than three years ago, then-Secretary Peña set a goal of having an integrated ITS infrastructure deployed across the nation in 75 metropolitan areas within a decade. Today we’ve made real progress: 36 metropolitan areas report having a medium or high level of ITS deployment. In the next several years, we will concentrate — in cooperation with ITS America — on learning lessons from the deployments and bringing the remaining 39 metropolitan areas up to significant levels of integrated ITS infrastructure. This success has brought us to a place where data collected can be shared with travelers via telephone.
On March 8, 1999, during announcement of his goals for "livability," Vice President Gore announced DOT’s petition to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a three-digit nationwide traveler information phone number (similar to 411 or 911). FCC approval of this petition would establish one easily remembered number which travelers can call from anywhere in the country for current route- and mode-specific traffic information.
In the Northeast Corridor alone, the one traveler information number would replace a couple of dozen different numbers now in use between New York and Washington, DC.
Transportation for the 21st Century (TEA-21)
Currently, the United States is enjoying the benefits of a strong economy, which is having a positive impact on our efforts to rejuvenate and upgrade our nation’s transportation infrastructure. We are playing a role in this, largely through TEA-21 -- the law which celebrates its first birthday today. I’d like to spend some time on how that bill is working for transportation solutions that make good sense.
President Clinton and Vice President Gore understand the connection between upgrading our transportation infrastructure and growing our economy. They made a pledge to rebuild America, and they are doing it. The Transportation Equity Act, also known as "TEA-21," is just one of many ways they are keeping their promise.
On June 9, 1998 -- one year ago today -- President Clinton signed this historic law, and I believe we have been aggressive in implementing all of its provisions quickly. TEA-21 guaranteed a record $198 billion of surface transportation investment while protecting our commitment to a balanced budget. TEA-21 expands core highway programs. The budget negotiations with Congress left the door open for up to $20 billion in additional investment as part of the annual budget process over its six-year life. We think that’s a fair deal: it fulfills our commitment to the balanced budget and to other national priorities, even as we achieve record-level transportation investments.
The law gives states and localities greater flexibility in using federal funds for transportation. TEA-21 provides a record $1.3 billion to develop and deploy advanced Intelligent Transportation Systems. So, while we do not think that high tech is the only answer for the new century, we know that we should invest in R&D and use it to our advantage in transportation. We are attempting to fix one of the drawbacks of TEA-21, which shifted the focus of this R&D too far away from the Federal labs and the national issues and too much into a fragmented set of state funded programs.
This historic legislation reflects President Clinton’s view that transportation is about more than just concrete, asphalt and steel. It is about people and about providing them with the opportunity to lead safer, healthier and more fulfilling lives.
Its record investment is balanced: there’s $42 billion authorized for transit, including $18 billion for transit formula funding. That is a 50 percent increase over the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) for the core program, the backbone of our commitment to urban and rural transit systems.
We also have $19 billion for major capital grants, new starts, fixed guideway modernization, and bus. The opportunities for transit aren’t limited to the traditional, dedicated funding programs. We want transit to participate fully in other initiatives, such as Intelligent Transportation Systems, and innovative finance, which has a new credit assistance program for major construction projects.
TEA-21 established a $500 million program to help invest in clean-fuel buses as an important clean air strategy. For the first time, we have a transit counterpart to the highways enhancements program, dedicated funding for the low-cost, high-benefit projects to help communities improve their quality of life and to build stronger, broad-based support for investment.
TEA-21 expands opportunity for all Americans. Following the President’s call, it creates a five-year, $750 million program to improve transportation for lower-income workers and those making the transition from the dependence of welfare rolls to the independence of payrolls. People can’t go to work if they can’t get to work, and this will help them. Recent announcements have been made of the first year’s grants to 179 projects in 42 states.
TEA-21 creates new ways to help pay for transportation improvements. Just last week, DOT announced the availability of $70.6 million in funding under the new credit assistance program, known as the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act, or TIFIA. The goal of TIFIA is to leverage Federal funds with private capital through targeted credit assistance to revenue-generating projects.
This Federal credit program was inspired by a $400 million loan for California’s Alameda Corridor rail project, which we made at a budgetary cost of just $59 million, a set-aside amount pegged to the risk factor. The $400 million federal loan was the factor that capped a total $2 billion funding package -- one that’s now in place -- making the entire project viable.
TIFIA offers a way to pay for similar, large projects of national significance. These projects, trade corridors, border crossings, and freight facilities, often cross jurisdictions or traditional modal boundaries, and sometimes have trouble accessing capital markets despite their value. The fact is that many such projects, like toll roads, have revenue sources which could be tapped to underwrite their costs.
Last month, Secretary Slater announced that nearly $124 million in grants would be provided for 55 projects under the National Corridor Planning and Development and the Coordinated Border Infrastructure programs. These grants will be critical in continuing the ever-increasing trade we enjoy with Canada and Mexico under the North American Free Trade Agreement. This program will provide up to $140 million each year over the remaining four fiscal years (2000-2003) of TEA-21, for a total of $700 million.
TEA-21 is also a significant safety bill. It protects Americans’ lives through campaigns to promote seat belt and child safety seat use, to fight drunk driving, to make highway-rail grade crossings safer, and to prevent pipeline accidents. It strengthens proven strategies to protect public health and the environment, expanding programs to improve air quality and creating a program to develop clean, fuel-efficient trucks.
TEA-21 will help to streamline the environmental review process without losing its important protections. The law establishes a process to coordinate Federal agency involvement in major highway and transit projects with the goals of identifying decision points and potential conflicts as early as possible, integrating the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process as early as possible, encouraging the full and early participation of all relevant agencies, and establishing coordinated time schedules for agencies to act on a project. Used right, this process can move us towards sustainable solutions. The environmental streamlining provision:
1) provides the U.S. DOT the option of entering into memoranda of understanding(MOUs) or memoranda of agreements(MOAs) with Federal or State agencies;
2) establishes a dispute resolution process;
3) allows States the option of including their environmental reviews in the coordinated environmental review process; and it
4) authorizes the U.S. DOT to approve State DOT requests to reimburse Federal agencies for expenses associated with meeting expedited time frames.
TEA-21 expands opportunity for all Americans. It helps those moving from welfare to work, it preserves a strong Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program, and it maintains protections for transportation workers.
We’re proud of TEA-21. Besides its record levels of investment and its emphasis on improving safety, environmental protection, and fostering safety, it extends, and expands, the principles of intermodalism first set forth in ISTEA. Those principles are really a common-sense version of the realities of today’s transportation world, where multiple modes and transfers are common both for passengers and for freight.
TEA-21 carries forward the ideal that we need to promote the best and most efficient form of transportation for each segment of a trip, helping people and products get to their destinations as safely, as quickly, as conveniently, and as economically as possible.
Earlier this month, Secretary Slater announced 35 proposals totaling $13.1 million that will receive funding under an innovative initiative called the Transportation and Community and System Preservation Pilot program (TCSP), which promotes the Clinton Administration’s livability initiative.
The initiative rests on the bedrock principle that local citizens know best how to grow and shape their communities. Land development and infrastructure decisions are best made at the local level.
This unique program, for the first time, provides communities with the comprehensive tools and resources they need to preserve green spaces, ease traffic congestion, promote regional cooperation, improve schools, and enhance economic competitiveness. In short, to reclaim their communities -- for themselves and the future.
The Livability Initiative recognizes that different communities face different circumstances and it provides resources so that they can plan and achieve their individual community vision.
In the same way, our TCSP program recognizes that each community has its own unique development and preservation needs. It also recognizes that transportation must be a vital partner in local communities’ efforts to achieve their hopes and aspirations for the future.
The TCSP program will fund the planning and implementation of transportation strategies in urban, suburban and rural areas which promote efficient transportation, a healthy environment, and access to jobs, services and places of business.
The demand for Federal partnership in this bold effort is overwhelming. During the time we were taking applications -- a period of just a few weeks -- we received 524 requests for almost $400 million. There were many thoughtful, forward-looking and innovative projects that we were simply unable to fund.
This year’s $13 million program is set to increase to $25 million next year. But that’s not enough. We believe even more money is needed for Federal government to become partners with the many communities who have expressed a desire to link transportation to livability. That’s why, as part of Vice President Gore’s livability agenda, we have called for an increase to $50 million. With that amount, we won’t be able to fund all of the worthy projects but it will help.
This year, we have selected 35 projects in 28 states to receive funding. Amid very tough competition, these projects reflect the broad range of innovative strategies that local communities proposed, including transit oriented development, traffic calming initiatives, community development, brownfields restoration, efficient freight transport, and planning tools and modeling.
TCSP is a program that relies on the communities of America. The initiative for these proposals, the ideas, the concepts and even the implementation, come from the many communities across our nation that are preparing for the 21st century and are thinking in terms of livability.
Conclusion
Today, we have a safer, more efficient transportation system, but we know the 21st century will bring new challenges that will require new and innovative actions.
People are debating whether or not we should expand 6-lane roads or bridges to 12 lanes – or whether or not we should save more green space for future generations – or whether or not we should invest more in mass transit.
Transportation is an extremely vital issue for the new millennium and is gaining more attention than ever. Not only does traffic congestion cost commuters billions of dollars, but is undoubtedly affecting the quality of life for many.
In 1992, President-elect Clinton pledged to rebuild America’s infrastructure. He has made good on that pledge by supporting TEA-21. And, Vice President Gore is also committed to improving our transportation systems for all Americans. But, they and we will need your input – and insight – to get the job done well.
Thank you for inviting me, and I look forward to hearing about the success stories that this conference is sharing.
####
Source: U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)