The new highway spending bill has taken its first baby steps. If it survives intact all the way through, it will be the largest highway bill in history, accounting for $287 billion in federal spending.
Rolled out in the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on July 29th, the bill was passed through committee unanimously with a few amendments the next day. The bill is a bipartisan effort, sponsored by two Republicans and two Democrats.
All told, the bill would authorize $287 billion over a five-year period. That’s an increase of 27% over the last major highway spending bill, the FAST Act. The new bill currently puts aside $259 billion to be spent on roads and bridges.
Legislators have until the FAST Act expires on September 30th, 2020 to put this new spending bill in place. Of course, the FAST Act changed significantly between the time it exited committee and the time it passed its final vote. Similarly, the new bill, called America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act of 2019, has a long way to go before any money can be spent. Currently the bill doesn’t even have any funding mechanisms laid out.
Even if the bill does find a way to come up with the money, and 100% of the proposed amount is allotted, it will still fall far short of the amount of money needed to revitalize the nation’s crumbling infrastructure.
Despite that, industry groups are excited about even the possibility of such a substantial increase in spending. The American Trucking Association, the National Association of Truck Stop Operators, and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials all put out statements in support of the bill.
Even OOIDA seemed to be excited.
“We are cautiously optimistic,” said OOIDA Director of Public Relations Norita Taylor according to Heavy Duty Trucking. “But watching closely for what ends up in the final version, especially when it comes to funding.”
Source: truckinginfo, overdrive
Amazing all this great technology and money being wasted for roads to last 5 years at best. Even with this new construction one would think that the roads would get better. I’ve just driven on some new supposedly asphalted road work and it still was not right. It’s shameful for someone to ok these worthless projects. All the money spent on the 35. 635 in Dallas the roads are still shameful totally not great quality of work.
I too am baffled by the crappy quality of newly paved roads. Not even, bumps everywhere, sharp edges and they can’t for the life of them, make smooth transitions from road to bridge with a HUGE THUMP / gap causing my co-drive to fall out of his bed. It’s sickening. A monkey with a shovel could lay smoother asphalt. >:-(
They need to do it right and just 10% of what is really needed. It is going take 2 trillion in funding over 15 years to make this country great! But we need to start teaching our high school students about careers in Road building and bridge building in pipelines. From drivers to construction workers to welders to construction management. This country does not have enough Skilled workers to even attempt to rebuild all of our nations roads are bridges if I skilled workers to even attempt to rebuild all of our nations roads are highways bridges and pipelines! But we can within fives if we start putting all the pieces together now.
Alot more important things to put that amount towards. I need a go fund me so I can get a new jeep and a new 8 bedroom house just so I can run throughout my house everyday when I retire. Oh and the taxes need to be sponsored too. Thanks Guys!
I agree on training road builders. Let all the start up e car, alternative transit get their own funding and stop stealing from our fuel and road taxes.Back to the basics.
Another reason that lobbyists will push for self driving trucks…and phase out humans driving trucks.