No smooth road ahead
for transportation bill (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

No smooth road ahead 
for transportation bill (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Georgia to get $316 million less in highway funds this year

It is supposed to be the biggest overhaul in recent history to the nation’s transportation system, a $500 billion package that would add new lanes to the most congested highways, launch new mass-transit projects and totally reorganize how America manages how it moves around.

But like I-285 at rush hour, a comprehensive transportation bill Congress began working on years ago remains bogged down in legislative gridlock and sputtering as the government’s funding sources are running on empty.

As a result, as lawmakers struggle with what to do with health care reform, two wars, global warming and a lousy economy, they’re putting off addressing how to make long-term fixes to the nation’s highways and other transportation infrastructure.

Facing a Sept. 30 expiration of the current federal transportation bill, the U.S. House last week was forced to pass a three-month, $13.6 billion extension just to make sure the nation’s transportation workers continue to get paid and scheduled road improvements continue to be made through the end of the year. By then, supporters hope to complete the more far-reaching legislation that would outline transportation spending for the next six years.

But the U.S. Senate, at the urging of the White House, could delay action even longer. Transportation leaders in the Senate, led by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), are pushing for a last-minute, 18-month extension of current transportation programs that expire on Sept. 30.

“It’s called kicking the can,” said Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), who isn’t directly involved with the transportation legislation.

Even with the extensions, states may face less federal transportation funding than they had expected. According to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Georgia can expect to get about 
$316 million less than expected in federal highway funds this year because of lower gas tax receipts and other reasons. That means the state will likely have to cut back on maintenance programs and postpone some projects.

The proposed Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009 that’s delayed in the House, conversely, would have provided a major boost to transportation funding for all states. Investments in roads and other transportation needs would increase by 38 percent to $450 billion over six years. Another $50 billion would be set aside for high-speed rail projects — potentially including high-speed rail lines in Georgia.

Specific highway projects are still being determined. But if lawmakers from Georgia get their way, they would also include major upgrades to I-285 in Atlanta and I-75 south of Atlanta (in Henry County).

The legislation also would direct $50 billion specifically to help unclog congestion in the nation’s major metropolitan areas, including Atlanta, and invest nearly $100 billion for overdue upgrades and repairs to existing bus and rail systems nationwide.

All of that comes at a cost, of course. To pay for the improvements, Congress would almost certainly have to raise federal gas taxes that finance most of the nation’s transportation needs.

“I don’t think a tax increase is going to fly right now, and that’s the only way you’re going to be able to pay for all of this,” said U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, a Coweta County Republican. As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, he is the point person on transportation issues in Georgia’s delegation to the U.S. House.

Proponents of the bill, however, say, delaying it costs money, too.

In 2005, for instance, traffic congestion cost the country $78 billion — including 4.2 billion hours of lost time and 2.9 billion gallons of wasted fuel in
the nation’s metropolitan areas alone, according to the office of U.S. Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), who authored the Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009. That same year, overall logistics costs for moving people and products began to rise, after 17 years of decline.

Potential savings from better roads and less congestion is appealing not just to frustrated commuters, but also to big companies such as Sandy Springs-based UPS. Every minute a UPS driver is stuck in traffic, it costs the company — and all the companies and individuals that rely on its services — money.

“The country’s ability to compete globally is tied to its ability to move goods both inside and outside of its borders,” said UPS spokesman Malcolm Berkley. “Our interest in the bill lies in