Long-Term Funding Agreement Finally Hits The Road

Many U.S. roads are in a seriously sorry state. And despite such poor conditions and calls to correct the situation from both Democrats and Republicans, any transportation funding legislation enacted in the past decade has lasted just two years or less. That dismal trend looks like it may be broken as the House and Senate have recently struck an agreement on the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. This $305 billion highway bill would fund a portion of our transportation infrastructure through 2019. If the legislation passes it means that much-needed, long-term transportation infrastructure projects could finally get done instead of just the short-term patches with which we’ve had to make do. But apart from fixing an abundance of problematic potholes and spring-boarding some stagnant projects, how will the FAST act affect the U.S.?

Image Source: Wikimedia

Fixing Potholes And Moving Products

The new bill is meant to help ease congestion by addressing highway bottlenecks, repairing road wear and tear, increasing bus and ferry operations, and improve digital information sharing across our highways, bridges, and tunnels. The FAST act will reauthorize the 18.4 cent per gallon gas tax that serves as a major means of its funding, but it will not raise this amount. While this bill may improve your ride to and from work, by making roads a little smoother, the trucking and freight industry will have gotten special attention. The bill puts $10.8 billion toward infrastructure projects that are focused on freight routes and improve the transport of factory, retail, and agricultural products. The FAST act also lowers the minimum age of interstate truck drivers for veterans and military personnel from 21 to 18. This change may help the trucking industry fill a growing employment gap and help more young Americans earn a stable, living wage.

Image Source: Wikimedia

A More Proactive Approach? 

Coming in time to meet an upcoming deadline for transportation funding, the FAST act might represent a more proactive approach to long-term legislation, defying past measures that only focused on bandaging the affects of a rapidly aging infrastructure. The bill is certainly progress, but does it show real promise when so many projects and repairs are needed? Do you think it should have raised the gas tax—our traditional source for transportation funding—rather than simply renewing the current rate?  What are your thoughts on the FAST act and what it means for the U.S.?


Article Sources: The Hill, NPR, The New York Times

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