As president of HNTB Holdings Ltd, Paul Yarossi serves on the company's board of directors and is responsible for overseeing and directing the firm's governance, capitalization strategy, compliance and audit functions, as well as its external and government relations.
Since joining in 1973, Yarossi has been involved with nearly every aspect of the firm. He served as officer-in-charge for several HNTB offices in New York and New Jersey, as chairman of HNTB's aviation services, and was instrumental in developing HNTB's training and development programs. He has been principal-in-charge of planning and design projects at airports throughout the northeastern United States.
Yarossi is also first vice chairman of American Road & Transportation Builders Association. He also serves in a number of high-level roles on behalf of the industry, which gives him a broad perspective of current relevant issues and trends. He is co-chair of the SAFETEA-LU Reauthorization Task Force on behalf of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), the U.S. transportation construction industry's representative in Washington, DC.
The simple answer is, TIGER grants should be part of the solution, but not be the only solution. Every legitimate, effective and efficient source should be considered and should not be categorically disallowed. It’s time to get creative, to reinvent our transportation system and adopt groundbreaking concepts that are part of a strategic approach framed at the federal level. Recent stimulus funding should not be confused, or substituted, for reauthorization and discussions about funding mechanisms must be inventive and plentiful, like a gas tax tied to inflation, state infrastructure banks, user fees tied to vehicle miles traveled, and tolls.… Read more
Secretary LaHood’s federal advisory committee is a solid first step toward outlining a vision, while helping restore and, in some cases, repair the U.S. aviation industry. As the committee builds its agenda, I recommend five critical issues must be addressed: 1. Implement a national aviation plan. The development of a national aviation plan is critical if we are to promote commerce, better move people and goods, and facilitate response on a national basis to natural and manmade disasters. Enacting an overall plan is, in fact, the foundation upon which all other improvements should be based. 2. Increase emphasis on safety.… Read more
We’ve reached a total impasse to address our country’s infrastructure problems. It’s time to get over the repetitious, unproductive conversations underway and realize we aren’t going to find a free fix. The delays only increase costs, continue the deterioration of the transportation system, delay improvements that will make travel safer, and decrease employment in the construction industry. It’s time to address the problem. It’s easy to be against any funding option—increasing the gas tax, tolling, a vehicle miles tax, concessions and other viable ways to fund infrastructure maintenance and improvement. We have to ask if it’s important to have an… Read more
Not since the inception of the interstate system have the country’s growing transportation needs outweighed the available funding across the states. This challenge has created change among many entities in terms of their increasing reliance on consultants to deliver programs; consolidating and prioritizing programs; bringing in private dollars through P3s and using innovative techniques, such as design-build to deliver projects. Essentially, given the revenue and staff available, departments of transportation and transportation owners across the country cannot afford to maintain their existing transportation system let alone build new capacity within current funding levels. New and innovative ways to finance,… Read more
To meet the huge transportation infrastructure needs that beset our country, it is imperative for Washington to move quickly and pass Chairman Oberstar's proposal for a six-year program that will begin to address these critical needs in a meaningful, systematic way. The Chairman's bi-partisan proposal is the result of exhaustive investigations, hearings and studies into the direction of America's transportation system. The experienced leadership of the T&I committee, including Chairman Oberstar and ranking member Mica, is what gives me the confidence that the committee has, and will continue, to debate and agree on a sound proposal for the future. If we look at what has happened in the… Read more
Intelligent Transportation Systems are intended to make us a more mobile nation and a safer one. Like the creation of our Interstate Highway System more than 50 years ago, ITS will have a dramatic impact on our country’s transportation challenges and opportunities. Today, traffic congestion and highway safety are serious problems that affect our quality of life and our economy. In the future, cars will be equipped with all kinds of advanced sensors, computer processors, on-board displays and communications systems. In essence, the car will become part of an integrated network of connected vehicles and roadways with features like: • Cars… Read more
Already, the U.S. Department of Transportation estimates the annual cost of simply maintaining our current highway system is 12 percent more than the government is actually spending. The current administration cannot afford to limit its role in transportation policy but, instead, must prioritize interstate commerce and national security. It must develop a long-term vision, with multimodal infrastructure investments that go beyond the highway system and stretch our imaginations: an increased load of freight rail to minimize highway congestion, a national system of Critical Commerce Corridors as proposed by ARTBA that moves truck freight safely while separating it from passenger traffic,… Read more
P3s are an integral part of various funding options. They can be very helpful when applied to the right project. Equal partnering by all parties must be built into the assessment process. The transfer of an existing publicly-owned asset can be controversial, but P3's for new projects that would not otherwise be built for many years due to restricted funding have not been controversial and have been widely accepted. The operator must maintain a quality product and resulting dollars must go back to improving infrastructure. States need to work together on an agreed course of action, much like a business… Read more
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