American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials

Media Coverage

REAUTHORIZATION
A Senate vote is possible as early as next Wednesday on final passage of a nine-month extension of federal highway and transit authorization. View the full story in the March 12 AASHTO Journal

Highway Trust Fund payments shut down this week for the first time in the fund's 54-year history after spending authority expired Sunday, resulting in a two-day suspension of federal highway and transit reimbursements to state transportation departments and transit authorities as well as the two-day furlough of some 2,000 U.S. Department of Transportation employees. The shutdown was short lived, however, as the Senate approved a 28-day authorization extension Tuesday night, putting the trust fund back in operation and U.S. DOT workers back on the job first thing Wednesday. The House of Representatives then voted Thursday to approve a 10-month authorization extension, which now returns to the Senate for further consideration. View the full story in the March 5 AASHTO Journal

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held a hearing Wednesday to examine the ways that transportation investment creates and sustains jobs and how it also strengthens the nation's economic competitiveness. Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer characterized the hearing as "the kickoff" for the Senate's drafting of a six-year surface transportation authorization bill. View the full story in the March 5 AASHTO Journal

Addressing AASHTO's Washington Briefing on Tuesday, House Highways and Transit Subcommittee Chairman Peter DeFazio had some harsh words about this week's Highway Trust Fund shutdown and U.S. Department of Transportation furloughs. View the full story in the March 5 AASHTO Journal

During a Monday afternoon panel at AASHTO's Washington Briefing, House and Senate staff pointed to the same dilemma as the source of delay for enactment of a multiyear surface transportation bill -- finding the money. View the full story in the March 5 AASHTO Journal

State DOT executives and staff attending this week's AASHTO Washington Briefing heard from an array of fellow transportation associations on what each group is looking for in the upcoming six-year surface transportation authorization bill. View the full story in the March 5 AASHTO Journal

HIGHWAY TRUST FUND
The House of Representatives approved a bill Wednesday to compensate 1,922 U.S. Department of Transportation employees who were furloughed for two days last week after spending authority for the Highway Trust Fund was suspended due to lack of legal authorization. View the full story in the March 12 AASHTO Journal

TRANSPORTATION FUNDING
Sen. Tom Carper said this week he will be a leading proponent of raising and indexing the gas tax when the Senate takes up a multiyear surface transportation reauthorization bill later this year. View the full story in the March 12 AASHTO Journal

FEBRUARY 2010
The federal Highway Trust Fund will shut down first thing Monday, suspending all payments to state transportation departments, and four U.S. Department of Transportation agencies are expected to furlough employees beginning Tuesday after Congress was unable to reach an agreement this week on legislation to extend surface transportation authorization past its Sunday expiration date. View the full story in the Feb. 26 AASHTO Journal

The chairman of the Senate Budget Committee implored U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood at a hearing Wednesday to come forward with a proposal for a long-term authorization of surface transportation programs. View the full story in the Feb. 26 AASHTO Journal

AASHTO Executive Director John Horsley joined Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer, D-CA, in a conference call with reporters Wednesday to stress the importance of the Senate passing a job-creation bill this month that contains an extension of surface transportation authorization through Dec. 31 and a deposit of about $20 billion into the Highway Trust Fund to keep it solvent. View the full story in the Feb. 19 AASHTO Journal

JANUARY 2010
Two influential transportation policymakers presented a united front during a public meeting Monday in Minneapolis on the importance of getting a long-term surface transportation authorization bill enacted. The current law expired Sept. 30 of last year. View the full story in the Jan. 29 AASHTO Journal

Senate leaders are considering a finance bill that would extend highway and transit program authorization until Dec. 31 and a job-creation bill that could include transportation infrastructure funds. View the full story in the Jan. 29 AASHTO Journal

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is holding the second in a series of public meetings regarding the next long-term surface transportation authorization bill Jan. 25 in Minneapolis. View the full story in the Jan. 15 AASHTO Journal

The Obama administration issued a report Tuesday stating the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has saved or created 1.5 million to 2 million jobs in its first 11 months of spending. View the full story in the Jan. 15 AASHTO Journal

Weaker-than-expected December employment figures released last Friday are giving President Barack Obama and his Democratic allies in Congress more ammunition to push for enactment of a job-creation bill after the Senate returns to Washington next week. View the full story in the Jan. 15 AASHTO Journal

Two national transportation organizations called this week on the Senate to make its top priority passage of a job-creation bill containing money for transportation projects when the chamber begins its 2010 session Jan. 19. View the full story in the Jan. 8 AASHTO Journal

2010 PRIORITIES
Top transportation policy priorities for the new year include job creation/preservation, improving America's intercity passenger rail system, and passing a multi-year surface transportation authorization measure, AASHTO's executive director wrote this week in a National Journal blog posting. View the full story in the Jan. 8 AASHTO Journal

YEAR IN REVIEW: TOP TRANSPORTATION STORIES OF 2009
The AASHTO Journal reviews the top transportation stories of 2009. View the full story in the Dec. 30 AASHTO Journal

DECEMBER 2009
 President Barack Obama signed into law last week a Department of Defense appropriations bill that includes an extension of highway and transit authorization through February -- the fourth short-term extension since the 2005 transportation law known as "SAFETEA-LU" expired Sept. 30. View the full story in the Dec. 30 AASHTO Journal

The House of Representatives approved a trio of bills Wednesday that would extend surface transportation authorization until Dec. 23, Feb. 28, and Sept. 30. A continuing resolution providing authority for federal surface transportation programs expires today, creating this complex series of legislative maneuvers. View the full story in the Dec. 18 AASHTO Journal

Congress took no action this week to extend authorization of federal surface transportation programs, meaning only a week remains before highway and transit spending authority expires. View the full story in the Dec. 11 AASHTO Journal

AASHTO's president shared the stage with U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Tuesday in New Orleans at the first public meeting held by the secretary regarding surface transportation authorization. View the full story in the Dec. 4 AASHTO Journal

The House of Representatives narrowly approved a job-creation package Wednesday that includes $37.3 billion for transportation projects. The legislation now goes to the Senate, which is expected to debate it next month. View the full story in the Dec. 18 AASHTO Journal

President Barack Obama this week called on Congress to include infrastructure spending in a job-creation bill. Although the president did not include specifics in his Tuesday speech on the economy to the Brookings Institution in Washington, aides told reporters that Obama supports an investment of about $50 billion. View the full story in the Dec. 11 AASHTO Journal

State transportation departments have identified more than 9,500 highway, bridge, transit, rail, port, aviation, and intermodal projects worth $69.55 billion that, if funded by Congress, could be used to create hundreds of thousands of jobs across the country. View the full story in the Dec. 4 AASHTO Journal

Washington state Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond sat at a table with President Barack Obama on Thursday at the White House to talk about creating jobs by rebuilding infrastructure. View the full story in the Dec. 4 AASHTO Journal

NOVEMBER 2009
 House and Senate Democrats have started crafting a package of legislation aimed at creating jobs. Both chambers are strongly considering including investment in transportation infrastructure as part of the package, which congressional leaders said could be enacted by early next year. View the full story in the Nov. 20 AASHTO Journal

Seven Senate transportation leaders signed a letter Tuesday urging Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-NV, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY, to schedule floor debate on a measure to extend federal surface transportation authorization by six months. View the full story in the Nov. 20 AASHTO Journal

A report issued late last week emphasized that many transportation contractors have laid off employees this year and a lot more job cuts are likely to take place in 2010 unless Congress enacts a robust authorization bill for highways, bridges, transit, and safety projects. View the full story in the Nov. 20 AASHTO Journal

A targeted communication strategy that takes into account key audiences and how these audiences receive information is critical to any successful transportation project, according to several speakers who participated in a communications workshop at AASHTO's Annual Meeting last month in Palm Desert, CA. View the full story in the Nov. 20 AASHTO Journal

OCTOBER 2009
Congress acted Thursday to send President Barack Obama a second continuing resolution keeping federal highway and transit programs in operation for the next seven weeks. View the full story in the Oct. 30, 2009 AASHTO Journal

With Congress stymied on raising new revenue to support greater transportation spending levels in the midst of a recovering economy, state transportation officials have offered a solution: funding highway and transit programs on an interim basis to allow transportation investment to help lead economic recovery. The idea has now been endorsed by a key senator. View the full story in the Oct. 30, 2009 AASHTO Journal

Members of Americans for Transportation Mobility, a broad coalition of construction industry and business organizations, this week urged Congress to enact a six-month extension of federal highway and transit programs. View the full story in the Oct. 30, 2009 AASHTO Journal

With only one week remaining in the short-term continuation of authority for federal highway and transit programs, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee leaders are pushing for enactment of a six-month extension that would not require any additional revenue transfers to the Highway Trust Fund. View the full story in the Oct. 23 AASHTO Journal

A key senator said this week that he wants to see a transportation authorization bill completed by early next year and that raising the federal motor-fuels tax to pay for it must be considered by Congress.  View the full story in the Oct. 16 AASHTO Journal

Congress took no action this week to further extend a surface transportation authorization measure, leaving federal highway and transit programs operating under a one-month continuing resolution that expires Oct. 31. View the full story in the Oct. 9 AASHTO Journal

As job losses in the construction sector continue to mount, interest groups representing construction suppliers are trying to drum up support for congressional approval of a robust long-term transportation authorization measure to pump new money into the economy. View the full story in the Oct. 9 AASHTO Journal

President Barack Obama signed a continuing resolution Thursday that keeps federal highway programs operating through Oct. 31, but at a reduced level of contract authority. View the full story in the Oct. 2 AASHTO Journal

SEPTEMBER 2009
The House of Representatives voted 335-85 Wednesday evening to approve a bill that would extend federal highway and transit programs until the end of this year. But the legislation does not address a looming $8.7 billion rescission of existing contract authority set to hit state transportation departments next week. View the full story in the Sept. 25 AASHTO Journal

Three major business organizations joined with the nation's largest motorist association this week to call on Congress to swiftly enact a multiyear surface transportation authorization measure and to fully fund it by increasing the gasoline and diesel taxes that support the Highway Trust Fund. View the full story in the Sept. 25 AASHTO Journal

Congress has taken no action this week to repeal an $8.7 billion rescission of federal highway funds set to hit the states next Wednesday, setting up devastating consequences for several states who will lose hundreds of millions of dollars in transportation spending authority. View the full story in the Sept. 25 AASHTO Journal

The chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee indicated Wednesday that he will move next week a three-month temporary extension of federal surface transportation programs, which are slated to expire Sept. 30. View the full story in the Sept. 18 AASHTO Journal

The National Governors Association urged congressional leaders in a letter sent Tuesday to repeal an $8.7 billion rescission of federal contract authority for state transportation programs that is scheduled to take effect Sept. 30. View the full story in the Sept. 18 AASHTO Journal

Concluding a week of debate, the Senate on Thursday voted 73-25 to approve a $122 billion bill appropriating funds for the U.S. Transportation and Housing & Urban Development departments for Fiscal Year 2010, which begins Oct. 1. View the full story in the Sept. 18 AASHTO Journal

The chairman of the House Highways and Transit Subcommittee indicated this week he favors a temporary extension of federal surface transportation programs until the end of this calendar year to give Congress more time to agree on a six-year spending blueprint. View the full story in the Sept. 11 AASHTO Journal

Addressing a meeting in Chicago last week, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood called for the development of regional transportation plans by counties and cities, which would be implemented with direct federal funding. View the full story in the Sept. 11 AASHTO Journal

As Congress considers how to fund transportation programs in the future, a Transportation Research Board report released this week examines the pros and cons of a series of strategies for a system of user fees based on vehicle miles traveled. View the full story in the Sept. 11 AASHTO Journal

AUGUST 2009
The Federal Highway Administration issued a notice to states Tuesday regarding the upcoming rescission of unobligated balances of Highway Trust Fund contract authority required by the 2005 transportation authorization law known as "SAFETEA-LU" and the 2007 energy law. States are required to identify their proposed program reductions no later than Sept. 4. View the full story in the Aug. 28 AASHTO Journal

State transportation officials said this week that uncertainty about future federal funding is forcing them to limit planning for large new projects in favor of simple, less-costly maintenance and repairs. View the full story from the Aug. 21 AASHTO Journal

With the current federal-aid highway and transit authorization law expiring only three weeks after Congress returns from its summer recess Sept. 8, action to sustain federal funding is critical, according to AASHTO officials. View the full story from the Aug. 14 AASHTO Journal

South Dakota Transportation Secretary Darin Bergquist told the U.S. Senate Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security Subcommittee on Monday that rural states must receive a significant increase in federal transportation funding and participate at least proportionately in future growth of the federal highway and surface transportation programs. View the full story from the Aug. 14 AASHTO Journal

The White House announced today that President Barack Obama has signed into law a House bill that directs the U.S. Treasury Department to deposit $7 billion into the Highway Trust Fund from the federal government's General Fund to ensure state transportation departments will continue receiving full reimbursements for federal-aid highway projects through September, the end of the current federal fiscal year. View the full story from the Aug. 7 AASHTO Journal

Appearing at an economic recovery news conference Wednesday in Minnesota, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar said he will hold a full committee mark-up of a $500 billion, six-year federal surface transportation authorization the week of Labor Day, when Congress returns from its summer recess. View the full story from the Aug. 7 AASHTO Journal

James Owens, chairman and CEO of Caterpillar, said Tuesday that Congress should expand the upcoming federal surface transportation authorization measure to supplement the infrastructure spending contained in this year's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. View the full story from the Aug. 7 AASHTO Journal

JULY 2009
The Senate voted 79-17 Thursday evening to pass a bill that would deposit $7 billion into the Highway Trust Fund from the federal government's General Fund to ensure state transportation departments will continue receiving full reimbursements for federal-aid highway projects through September, the end of the current federal fiscal year. View the full story from the July 31 AASHTO Journal and the July 30 AASHTO Journal news alert

The House of Representatives voted 363-68 late this afternoon to pass a bill that would deposit $7 billion into the Highway Trust Fund from the federal government's General Fund to ensure state transportation departments will continue receiving full reimbursements for federal-aid highway projects through September, the end of the current federal fiscal year. View the full story from the July 29 AASHTO Journal news alert

With the House of Representatives scheduled to recess next Friday to begin its five-week-long summer break, only one week remains for Congress to put more money in the Highway Trust Fund or states could begin seeing reduced reimbursements around Aug. 31. View the full story from the July 24 AASHTO Journal

Eleven Midwestern governors wrote to House and Senate leaders last Friday to urge swift action to address the shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund. View the full story from the July 24 AASHTO Journal

A proposal to extend federal surface transportation programs from their current Sept. 30 expiration date to March 2011 received approval from two additional Senate committees this week, moving the bill to the Senate Finance Committee for funding. View the full story from the July 24 AASHTO Journal

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar said Thursday he will strive to gain congressional approval this month to transfer $7.3 billion from the federal government’s General Fund to the Highway Trust Fund to ensure there is enough money available to reimburse states for obligated highway projects. Oberstar also said his six-year surface transportation authorization measure, which he had hoped to mark up in committee this month, might have to be pushed back until the fall. View the full story from the July 10 AASHTO Journal

Nearly five months after Congress enacted the American and Recovery and Reinvestment Act to pump $787 billion into the nation’s sagging economy, the steadily increasing unemployment rate has sparked discussion in Washington of the need for a second stimulus bill. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested Thursday that a $500 billion surface transportation authorization measure could be just the right remedy, but House Ways and Means Committee members and key senators have shown little desire to move forward with ideas to raise revenue to pay for the bill. View the full story from the July 10 AASHTO Journal

The U.S. Department of Transportation yesterday sent to congressional committees a two-page memorandum outlining the administration’s proposal for a temporary 1½-year authorization of federal surface transportation programs, which would last from Oct. 1 of this year to March 2011. View the full story from the July 2 AASHTO Journal

Despite the Obama administration’s preference that surface transportation authorization legislation be postponed for 18 months, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar, D-MN, plans a full committee mark-up of the 775-page bill in late July. AASHTO held a conference call yesterday with state transportation department chief executives to begin analyzing major sections of the legislation. View the full story from the July 2 AASHTO Journal

JUNE 2009
Voicing strong objections to the White House’s call to push back authorization of federal surface transportation programs by 18 months, the House Highways and Transit Subcommittee voted Wednesday to send a draft 775-page measure to the full committee. View the full story from the June 26 AASHTO Journal

Leading members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee yesterday released a proposal to authorize half a trillion dollars in federal spending on surface transportation over the next six years, strongly criticizing the Obama administration’s announcement Wednesday that it wants Congress to push back authorization for 18 months to focus on an immediate fix to the Highway Trust Fund that would last through December 2010, the end of the current congressional session. View the full story from the June 19 AASHTO Journal

With the prospect that House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee leaders will release their blueprint for the next six-year surface transportation authorization legislation as soon as next week, numerous members are stepping up their efforts to ensure that strict environmental protection provisions are included in the draft language. View the full story from the June 12 AASHTO Journal

The Bipartisan Policy Center’s National Transportation Policy Project released Tuesday a framework for comprehensive reform of the federal surface transportation funding system, becoming the latest in a growing stack of reports to call for transforming policy in the next six-year authorization bill. View the full story from the June 12 AASHTO Journal



AMERICA'S TRANSPORTATION AWARDS
The Minnesota Department of Transportation's I-35W Minneapolis Bridge Project has been selected as the 2009 America's Transportation Awards Grand Prize winner. The Florida Department of Transportation's 95 Express Miami Project won the People's Choice Award. View the full story in the Oct. 30, 2009 AASHTO Journal

From the seven North Carolina bridges replaced in 45 days to the Utah highway that reduced commuters' drive time from 42 to 16 minutes, a new report released by AASHTO highlights 50 projects nationwide that demonstrate smart transportation solutions by state transportation departments. View the full story in the Oct. 30, 2009 AASHTO Journal

Ten states were announced as finalists Tuesday in the 2009 America's Transportation Awards competition and will now compete for the People's Choice Award and Grand Prize. View the full story in the Sept. 11 AASHTO Journal

Overcoming major obstacles and keeping projects on time, on budget, and using innovative management has earned four Southeastern Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials highway projects regional America's Transportation Awards. View the full story in the Sept. 11 AASHTO Journal

Five projects in Maryland, New York, Delaware, and Pennsylvania were named Monday as winners in the first round of this year’s America’s Transportation Awards competition. View the full story from the June 26 AASHTO Journal

Judging is underway in the 2009 America’s Transportation Awards competition after 33 states submitted 50 projects for consideration. View the full story from the June 12 AASHTO Journal