“It is with deep disappointment that we find ourselves compelled to oppose the transportation bill advanced by House leadership. While we commend Chairman Mica (R-FL) for doing what he can to move a long-term transportation bill forward, the full legislation now heading to the floor of the House has significant fatal flaws. For more than three years, our coalition has worked hard for an updated federal transportation program that meets our needs in the 21st century…We still remain urgently committed to that goal.”

Reversing policy begun under President Ronald Reagan, House Ways and Means Committee – at the direction of House leadership — could move Friday to end guaranteed funding for public transportation, and leave even today’s inadequate funding levels in doubt. “We are deeply concerned that if this measure passes, Americans who use public transportation, or who would like that option in the future, will be thrown under the bus,” said James Corless, director of Transportation for America. “This couldn’t come at a worse time for people who need an affordable, reliable way to get to work, or for employers who need workers.”

WASHINGTON, DC — This week, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced the Local Flexibility for Transit Assistance Act, which would give local transit agencies flexibility in how they choose to allocate federal funding, especially during times of economic crisis. It provides transit systems with the option to use a portion of their federal transit funds for operating assistance [...]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate Commerce Committee today adopted two key policy measures for the upcoming authorization of the federal transportation program. The “Surface Transportation and Freight Policy Act of 2011” establishes policy goals for the federal surface transportation program, such as addressing congestion, improving access to multiple travel options, supporting domestic manufacturing and reducing [...]

After the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee moved their draft transportation bill (MAP-21) out of committee with a successful bipartisan vote this morning, T4 America Director James Corless offered this statement: “The bipartisan passage of the MAP-21 bill in the Senate EPW Committee this morning provides a significant opportunity to move forward on a [...]

This new report from T4 America ranks metropolitan areas on the condition of their bridges, and finds that more than 18,000 bridges in our largest metropolitan areas are rated “structurally deficient.” This new look at the bridge data from earlier in 2011 finds that just a quarter of deficient U.S. bridges, located in these 102 metropolitan areas over 500,000 people, carry 75 percent of all traffic crossing a deficient bridge each day.

President Obama’s visit to the Brent Spence Bridge bordering Ohio and Kentucky today calls much-needed attention to the urgency of bridge repair and rehabilitation throughout the country. Those needs are clearly visible in these detailed state-by-state reports and county level bridge data — including an interactive, searchable map of every deficient bridge in America.

WASHINGTON, DC — James Corless, director of Transportation for America, issued this statement in response to President Obama’s speech on his proposed American Jobs Act: “From the perspective of infrastructure investments, the President’s proposal is both ambitious and pragmatic. He called for immediate investments in the kind of transportation projects that create near-term jobs while [...]

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, President Obama stood with representatives of labor and business to call for a “clean” extension of the existing transportation funding measures, and a long-term transportation authorization. James Corless, director of Transportation for America, issued this statement in response: “Extending the gas tax and the current law that allocates transportation funds ought [...]

By 2015, more than 15.5 million Americans 65 and older will live in communities where public transportation service is poor or non-existent. That number will grow rapidly as the baby boom generation “ages in place” in suburbs and exurbs with few mobility options for those who do not drive. This new report ranks metro areas by the percentage of seniors with poor access to public transportation, now and in the coming years, and presents other data on aging and transportation.