Many of us in the transportation community have been lamenting the lack of action at the federal level in the reauthorization of transportation programs. We have been operating on continuing resolutions and loans from the general fund for a very long time and Congressional action still seems years in the future. I recently had the […]
Category: Funding
3
Jun
The Illinois General Assembly has passed the Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) for Transportation Act (HB 1091), an it’s now on its way to Gov. Quinn for signature. What is the PPP Act? The Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) for Transportation Act (House Bill 1091) promotes the sound development and operation of transportation facilities in Illinois, by authorizing public-private […]
15
Mar
We all learned at a young age that there is no free lunch, but most Americans seem to have forgotten that simple truism when it comes to public spending on transportation infrastructure. A recent Rockefeller Foundation survey, which was republished in the AASHTO Journal, found that two-thirds of respondents felt that a greater investment is […]
10
Mar
The US Departments of Commerce (DOC) and Transportation have recently broken new ground. They are cooperating on a series of public meetings in which members of the private sector have been asked to come and discuss their concerns and ideas about transportation. This is new ground because the agencies are dealing with a fundamental issue […]
Kansas Department of Transportation Secretary Deb Miller testified (on behalf of AASHTO) before the House Transportation and Infrastructure subcomittee on Highways and Transit and made recommendations for cutting costs and expediting project delivery on major infrastructure projects. Miller concluded her remarks by saying, “it is essential to find ways to deliver a better product, faster, […]
The (late) Summer 2010 edition of the MVFC Freight Notes is now available for download. This issue contains articles about the reauthorization of the MVFC, the America’s Marine Highways program, the addition of the M/V Mary Lynn to the freight capacity of the Missouri River, and MVFC Facilitator Ernie Wittwer’s take on the FREIGHT Act […]
15
Jul
At the recent meeting of the Mississippi Valley Conference of AASHTO, the Executive Committee of the Mississippi Valley Freight Coalition authorized the Coalition for an additional two years, through 2012. The Executive Committee used the result of the MVFC Business Meeting, held in conjunction with the 2010 MVFC Conference and Annual Meeting, as the basis […]
10
May
The US DOT is holding an online seminar to assist TIGER II grant applicants. The U.S Department of Transportation (USDOT) is sponsoring an educational seminar pertaining to the TIGER II Discretionary Grant program. Entitled “Lessons on How to Compete For a DOT Discretionary Grant,” the seminar will be held on Tuesday, May 18, and will […]
As part of the Recommendations for Reauthorization project (MVFC 09), we’ve produced a series of one-page, topic-based documents that encapsulate the MVFC’s positions regarding the next federal surface transportation bill. Funding Freight Programs Institutional Issues for Freight Rail Transportation Maritime Transportation Freight Performance Measures Truck Size and Weight These documents were distributed to attendees at […]
The US Department of Transportation has published a short process summary of the TIGER Grant Selection Process. This document includes brief descriptions of the technical evaluation process and the review and selection process for the first round of TIGER Grants, awarded in February 2010.