Miss. expected to benefit from 5-year transportation bill

A House vote of 359 to 65 and a Senate vote of 83 to 16 has resulted in a $305 billion highway bill’s approval.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation also commended the bill, but said the funds are a fraction of what’s needed. “Equipment dealers, manufacturers and their customers can now once again plan for the future”.

“While the bill provides enough revenue to cover the five year investments authorized, it does not address the long-term insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund. In order for our economy to remain internationally competitive, a long-term surface transportation bill is critical”.

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pennsylvania) headed up the conference committee to finalize the bill and praised the bill’s passage Thursday.

Most federal transit money goes to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates Metro-North and the Long Island Rail Road, along with New York City subways and buses. That tax hasn’t been increased since 1993 because many lawmakers believe it’s too politically risky. The federal government typically spends about $50 billion per year on transportation projects; the gas tax only brings in $34 billion annually. The bill ties customs fees to inflation and uses the increased revenue to offset the bill’s cost.

If enacted, this highway bill will be the longest in a 20-year cycle of short-term extensions and patches. “I am proud to see this important legislation garner overwhelming bipartisan support and I urge the President to swiftly sign it into law”.

Democrat Tammy Baldwin is pleased the FAST Act includes numerous railroad safety provisions she has been pushing for, including getting oil train information to local emergency responders and better preparation for hazardous materials teams in case there’s a spill.

No funding is set aside for I-11, but supporters say the expanded designation of the route helps the planning process and makes it more likely to get funding. For highway and road projects, the state will receive $8.89 billion through 2020, an increase of $789.7 million over the last five years.

All seven members of Oregon’s congressional delegation voted in favor of the legislation.

Sen. Harry Reid said the bill was a big step toward improving infrastructure and creating jobs, and that the I-11 proposal would “have a significant impact” for the Silver State.

The FAST Act also provides for a “small” increase in funding the Transportation Alternative Program, or STP Setaside, the new name for the sub-program of the Safe Routes to School Surface Transportation Program.

President Obama is expected to quickly sign the highway funding measure on Friday to prevent an interruption in the nation’s transportation spending.