John Horsley described three major transportation achievements in 2009: enactment of economic recovery legislation that provided $48 billion in funding for transportation; the fast action taken by states, cities, counties, airports, and transit authorities to put these recovery dollars and people to work; and the reduction in highway fatalities to their lowest levels in 50 years.

"As we enter a new decade, America must continue building on these successes through three key policy initiatives," Horsley wrote.

1. Job Creation & Preservation

States have identified more than 9,500 ready-to-go projects that, if funded, would quickly address the depression-level unemployment rate in the construction sector of more than 19 percent.

"When Congress reconvenes, we are confident that the Senate will join the House in crafting a jobs bill that includes significant resources for transportation infrastructure and extends funding for core highway and transit programs," Horsley wrote.

The House bill (HR 2847) would appropriate $27.5 billion for highways and $8.4 billion for mass transit, matching amounts provided in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that Congress passed in February 2009. Amtrak would receive $800 million from the jobs package while airports would get $500 million and shipyards $100 million.

In addition, the House bill would provide $19.5 billion for the Highway Trust Fund, a reimbursement of lost interest payments over the last dozen years.

"By passing a jobs bill and an extension of current spending authority, states will be empowered to plan both short- and longer-term projects that will put hundreds of thousands of people to work," Horsley wrote.

2. Improving America's Intercity Passenger Rail System

In the coming weeks, President Barack Obama is expected to usher in a new era by awarding $8 billion in recovery grants for passenger rail. A total of 34 states have submitted applications totaling $57 billion. The administration will determine which states and which rail corridors will be awarded funds to begin the work that will enable the United States to provide faster, more-reliable, and more-frequent passenger rail service that will someday be comparable to the world-class systems in Europe and Japan.

"These rail projects will create thousands of jobs and over time they will help to reduce highway congestion and greenhouse-gas emissions in metropolitan regions, and create an alternative to air travel through congested airports," Horsley wrote. "States and Amtrak stand ready to put these resources to work."

3. Securing a Long-Term Surface Transportation Authorization

Rounding out the top three policy priorities Horsley identified is the critical need to pass highway, transit, and aviation authorization legislation before the end of 2010.

"Reforms are needed in both programs, Horsley wrote. "And, just as importantly, Congress will need to agree on ways to generate the revenues required to sustain these vital transportation priorities. Making the right transportation choices today will serve the nation well throughout this decade and beyond."

AASHTO Releases Top 10 Topics List for 2010

As 2009 concluded last week, AASHTO issued a list of top 10 transportation topics for the new year.

"In 2010, we'll be seeing more job-creating construction zones on our highways, but we will still need a long-term solution to address everything from fixing potholes to making needed repairs to our aging infrastructure," said Butch Brown, AASHTO president and executive director of the Mississippi Department of Transportation. "Even more critically for the long-term health of this nation, 2010 must also be about how smart we become at enabling goods and products to get from one point to another with speed and efficiency."

In addition to the three subject areas Horsley addressed in the National Journal blog posting, the association also highlighted these topics as being key for 2010:

4. Deterring Distracted Driving

Nearly 6,000 people lost their lives in motor-vehicle crashes involving some form of driver distraction during 2008. Nineteen states and the District of Columbia prohibit drivers from text messaging while driving; 12 of those laws passed in 2009. The year ahead will offer more public-information campaigns and driver education, more sanctions, and additional research to determine the extent of the problem, whether hands-free devices are an effective solution, and whether effective enforcement strategies can be developed and/or implemented. See safety.transportation.org and www.distraction.gov for more information on this topic.

5. Ensuring Safer Roads

In Spring 2010, AASHTO will publish the Highway Safety Manual. This manual will assist highway agencies as they consider improvements to existing roadways or as they are planning, designing, or constructing new roadways. AASHTO is working with the Federal Highway Administration and the Transportation Research Board to develop training, information sessions, and other implementation tools that will be made available to states and others in the highway industry. AASHTO's goal: reduce highway fatalities by half over the next 20 years.

6. Taking Action to Address Climate Change

With autos and light-duty trucks contributing approximately 17 percent of the greenhouse gases produced in the United States, state and local governments are developing climate-change action plans and looking at the best ways to reduce emissions through technology, research, smarter travel, better cars and fuels, and improved efficiency and operation of our roads. In the year ahead, Congress will address this issue in both climate-change and transportation authorization legislation. AASHTO's Climate Change Steering Committee is working to provide technical expertise and assistance to state DOTs to reduce GHG emissions. Visit realsolutions.transportation.org for more information.

7. Responding to Increased Congestion Due to Capacity Issues

In 2008, high gas prices drove thousands of commuters from their cars and onto buses, subways, light rail, and other transit modes. As gas prices moderated, however, many of these riders went back to their vehicles. In fact, despite the economic downturn, 64 of the 100 most populated cities saw increased congestion in the first six months of 2009. This congestion will only continue to worsen as more people move to metropolitan areas and little is done to increase the capacity of the overall transportation system. In early 2010, AASHTO will issue a new report that outlines a four-point plan to address the urban mobility challenge. Other reports on the transportation needs of rural and underserved areas as well as freight will follow.

8. Adopting Social Media to Provide the Latest Traffic and Travel Information

Four-fifths of state departments of transportation are now using Twitter as well as an array of other "social media" to release information on traffic incidents, road closings, weather emergencies, and other transportation-related information. Thousands of travelers have signed up to use this service. Other media being accessed by states to educate their publics include Facebook, weekly news webchannels, podcasts, and RSS feeds. States are encouraging the use of these media "before you go" to avoid distracted driving.

9. Enhancing Safety Through Roadway Improvements and
Development of "Breakthrough" Technologies Such as IntelliDrive

Rumble strips are now being installed on many highways to warn drivers when their vehicles start to leave the travel lane. On divided highways, cable median barriers are being installed to prevent fatal crashes in which vehicles run off the road into the median and cross over into oncoming traffic. With more than half of highway fatalities occurring on rural roads, highway agencies are focusing on installing these types of lower-cost treatments to reduce crashes. As additional studies are performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of these treatments, they will be installed on more roads across the country. The United States must also move forward aggressively to develop advanced technologies such as IntelliDrive. Data generated through vehicle sensors can be shared vehicle-to-vehicle and transmitted from vehicles to roadway managers to avoid collisions and reduce congestion. Funding research being led by U.S. DOT, AASHTO, and the auto industry to advance this concept to deployment should be a high priority in 2010.

10. Creating Livable Communities

The Obama administration has made livable communities a key aspect of its transportation and housing agenda. In June 2009, EPA, HUD, and DOT entered into a Sustainable Communities Partnership to help improve access to affordable housing, provide more transportation options, and lower transportation costs, while protecting the environment in communities nationwide. Efforts by state DOTs in the coming year will include building transportation enhancement projects such as bikeways, pedestrian walkways, and historic restoration and beautification projects; improving metropolitan mobility; ensuring more transit services are available in rural areas and to serve aging populations; and adding capacity to our transportation network to reduce congestion and the amount of time commuters, truckers, and other drivers are stuck in traffic.