October 2009 Archives

Some transportation infrastructure, such as highways, airports and ports, is mainly owned and operated by governments, while other elements, such as rail lines and pipelines, are mainly owned and run by the private sector. What lessons can the public sector learn from privately held infrastructure about how best to manage, maintain and finance its network of holdings? Are there any lessons that government can impart to the private sector?

8 responses: Robin Chase, Patrick J. Natale, P.E., Gabriel Roth, Parris N. Glendening, Gabriel Roth, Robin Chase, Jack Kinstlinger, Jeff Rosen

Supporters of public-private partnerships, from conservative former Transportation Secretary Mary Peters to Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell, insist that the next surface transportation bill make it significantly easier for the private sector to invest in infrastructure projects. At the other end of the spectrum, House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman James Oberstar, D-Minn., wants to create an Office of Public Benefit and tough new requirements for tolling and public-private partnerships involving federal roads to make sure that the public interest is protected in deals with private investors.

How can policymakers strike the best balance between ensuring that the public gets a fair deal and making investment in infrastructure projects attractive to private capital? And how much funding for transportation projects is it realistic to expect from the private sector?

18 responses: Jon Martz, D.J. Gribbin, Gabriel Roth, Patrick D. Jones, Lisa Caruso, Patrick J. Natale, P.E., Ed Hamberger, Patrick D. Jones, Patrick D. Jones, Geoffrey S. Yarema, Gabriel Roth, Bill Graves, Lisa Mullings, Steve Sandherr, Phineas Baxandall, Bob Poole, Greg Cohen, Mary Peters

In an interview last week with NationalJournal.com, former Transportation Secretary Mary Peters suggested that rather than increasing the fuels tax to pay for a larger surface transportation program, policymakers should keep gas tax revenues constant, allow states and localities greater freedom to pursue private financing for infrastructure projects, and shrink the program to focus on core national priorities. Transportation experts are nearly unanimous in agreeing that federal surface transportation policy should make national (and regional) needs its top priority -- but many also support a substantially more expensive program of roughly $500 billion over six years (compared to the $286 billion provided in the last six-year authorization).

Has the time come to limit the scope and spending of the federal program, or does the next surface transportation bill require more money and a wider, if still nationally focused, approach?

14 responses: Deron Lovaas, Mortimer L. Downey, Patrick J. Natale, P.E., Bill Graves, Gabriel Roth, James Corless, David A. Raymond, Parris N. Glendening, Jack Kinstlinger, Steve Van Beek, John Horsley, Bob Poole, Steve Heminger, Ken Orski

The Obama administration and leading congressional Democrats appear to be making the creation of "livable communities" -- where residents have better access to affordable housing, public transportation and employment options -- a central transportation policy goal.

In June, the administration launched a Partnership for Sustainable Communities and six "livability principles" for coordinating policy across the Department of Transportation, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Chairman Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., whose panel has jurisdiction over mass transit programs, in August introduced his own Livable Communities Act, while House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman James Oberstar, D-Minn., made livability one of the key objectives of the surface transportation reauthorization bill he unveiled in June.

Given this increasing focus on promoting livability, what can transportation and urban planners and others in the transportation sector do to promote greater interconnection of affordable housing and transportation options? What role, if any, is appropriate for the federal government to play?

17 responses: Jon Martz, Jeff Rosen, Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., Lisa Caruso, Ed Hamberger, Lisa Caruso, Deron Lovaas, Ken Orski, Gabriel Roth, James Corless, Patrick J. Natale, P.E., Lisa Caruso, Steve Heminger, Rich Sarles, Greg Cohen, Nancy LeaMond, Parris N. Glendening