Paul Yarossi

Secretary LaHood’s announcement last week tocreate a national freight strategy is welcome and greatly needed for the vitality of our country. A blueprint for freight movement should work in tandem with the development of a national multimodal transportation vision—helping create jobs, buttress our economy and ease the cost of trade.

The health of the nation’s manufacturing sector is dependent— in large part—on a healthy transportation system which is, unfortunately, aging—and not aging well. If nothing changes, we will be the first generation in U.S. history to leave our children a system that is in worse condition than the one we inherited. We should keep in mind:

Approximately 61,000 miles (37 percent) of all lane miles on the National Highway System are in poor or fair condition. More than 152,000 bridges—one in every four—are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. Demand for freight rail is expected to double by 2035. The Association of American Railroads estimates that

U.S. investment in transportation infrastructure falls far behind that of China, Brazil, Russia and European nations. According to a 2010, bipartisan panel of experts co-chaired by former U.S. Secretaries of Transportation, Norman Mineta and Samuel Skinner, the panel's report, “Well Within Reach: America’s New Transportation Agency,” stated that failure to adequately maintain and invest in our transportation systems means not only gridlocked roads and deteriorating bridges in the near term, but a steady erosion of the social and economic foundations for American prosperity in the long run.

China spends 9 percent of its gross domestic product on infrastructure. Europe and India invest 5 percent. In the United States, we spend less than 3 percent of our GDP on infrastructure when transportation is estimated to be as much as 18 percent of the economy. Does that make sense to anyone?

A dedicated, reliable funding stream is needed to allow states to plan for large multi-year projects. States are required by the federal government to develop long-term tr

To me, investing in the nation’s modern transportation system is the definition of good federal spending.

It’s a lifeline, creating jobs, driving economic growth, enhancing security and making the United States more competitive. Through the Highway Trust Fund users have provided the revenues necessary to improve the facilities they use and those revenuesprovide a positive return to the users and the overall economy.

Current proposals don’t address the primary issue we face: Our country will be best served with a long-term, dedicated and sustainable funding mechanism.

A one-time transfer of war savings out of the general revenue is welcomed as a stop gap measure, but it’s not a solution. And it sets a precedent.

The firewall around the Highway Trust Fund was established for good reason. That guarantees road users pay for the infrastructure they use. What’s more American or free-market focused than that?

Yet, there hasn’t been an increase in revenue for 19 years. It’s difficult for any organization to m

As the current jobs and funding debate has developed, many, including myself, have come to realize America needs an alternative approach to persuade elected officials to support transportation infrastructure. It’s time to change the conversation from “the sky is falling” and focus on what the return on investment in infrastructure will be. The conversation should change from only the cost, to emphasize the return on the investment.

Some of America’s greatest political leaders have understood how a strong infrastructure system creates jobs, promotes economic development and advances America’s competitiveness in the international marketplace. Whether it was Thomas Jefferson and the nation’s early canals, Abraham Lincoln and the transcontinental railroad, or Dwight Eisenhower and the Interstate Highway System, they understood such investments provide an outstanding return.

Today’s elected officials – and all Americans – need to appreciate how much infrastructure contributes to our nation’s economy and prosper