There are over 4 million miles of roads in the United States moving cars, trucks, transit, and non-motorized vehicles across a seamless, integrated network. About three-quarters of the roads are owned by localities but the vast majority of travel occurs on major state roads and the federally-designated Interstate System. Today, this complex system is under strain as demands for upgrades and repair, safety improvements, and modernization mount.

Myths Surrounding Devolution of Federal Transportation Programs
Nov 25, 2014
As the lame-duck session of Congress approaches, there is nascent optimism within the transportation community that perhaps this could be...
Congressional Leadership & Committee Elections Begin
Nov 21, 2014 | Jeff Davis
November 20, 2014 - Members-elect of the upcoming 114th Congress have begun electing party leaders and selecting committee leaders. All...
The Highway Trust Fund Under TEA21, SAFETEA-LU and MAP-21
Nov 20, 2014 | Jeff Davis
November 20, 2014 - The following chart shows Highway Trust Fund annual new spending obligation authority granted by Congress (obligation...
President Nominates NHTSA, STB Heads
Nov 20, 2014 | Jeff Davis
November 20, 2014 - As the USDOT nomination backlog at the White House builds, President Obama in recent days has...
GAO Report Breaks Down FHWA Spending By Improvement Type
Nov 10, 2014 | Jeff Davis
November 10, 2014 - Data underlying a recent GAO study reveals that in FY 2013, of the $41 billion in...
Election Gives Mixed Message For Trans. & Infra.
Nov 10, 2014 | Jeff Davis
November 10, 2014 - Voters in numerous states and localities sent mixed messages on transportation and infrastructure ballot initiatives in...
Devolving Surface Transportation Infrastructure Responsibilities to the States: What’s Past is Prologue
Oct 25, 2014 | Carter Templeton
BY ERIC PETERSON Transportation Consultant During the 1919 transcontinental convoy, west of Grand Island, Nebraska, soldiers use a winch to...
RAISE USER FEES: The Road to Good Highway Policy
Oct 25, 2014 | Carter Templeton
BY TOM McNAMARA Transportation Consultant, and former UDOT policy staff, OST Good highway policy is difficult to achieve. Nonetheless, it...
Federal funding for highways is stagnant and the Federal Aid Highway Program (FAHP) appears to be “shrinking by default.” Transportation infrastructure is not a top 10 public polling issue. Highway conditions have improved and there is little “inside the beltway” dialogue on transportation infrastructure. Meanwhile, popular discussion of mobility is more focused on new vehicle technology than on highway infrastructure.
Oct 25, 2014 | Carter Templeton
BY STEVE LOCKWOOD Senior Vice President, Parsons Brinckerhoff A New Context for the FAHP? In the absence of Congressional action,...
Improving Transportation Performance: Time to Focus on Operations
Sep 25, 2014
Congress has been able to accomplish very little this year, but one thing they agreed they needed to do was...
Tolling in Japan: Should the U.S. Follow Its Lead?
Aug 25, 2014 | Carter Templeton
BY MICAH HIMMEL Research Director, Japan International Transport Institute, USA Toll roads serve an important role in ensuring…Refreshing the Status Quo: Federal Highway Programs and Funding Distribution

This year, the federal government gave $45.6 billion in highway “formula” funding to the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The state-by-state distribution of this money was based almost entirely on how the states fared on a variety of real-world metrics back in calendar year 2007,...
