Study Recommends Major Investment in Transportation
10/13/2010 12:00:00 AM
“Existing structures fall into disrepair, plans for new construction fail to adequately address the problems that they intend to fix, interconnectedness between various modes of transportation is not optimized, and millions of hours of productivity are lost and billions of tons of gasoline burned as citizens wait at a standstill. We are a nation in need of fresh strategic thinking,” said former Virginia Gov. Gerald L. Baliles, director of the Miller Center of Public Affairs, which hosted the National Transportation Policy Conference.
A study group led by two former U.S. secretaries of transportation has released a report warning that the deteriorating condition of the nation’s transportation infrastructure will drastically weaken the national economy without major reforms to transportation planning, financing, and implementation. The report, "Well Within Reach: America’s New Transportation Agenda," released Oct. 4, is a product of the David R. Goode National Transportation Policy Conference, held last fall at The University of Virginia and led by former DOT Secretaries Norm Mineta and Samuel Skinner. In it, authors call for additional annual investment of $134 billion to $262 billion. President Barack Obama also unveiled a $50 billion infrastructure plan this week, part of the 6 year $500 billion plan currently being drafted by the administration. Secretaries Skinner and Mineta attended the event. [MORE]