Two national transportation organizations have come out in support of a report published this week by The National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission. Both the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)
and the American Trucking Association (ATA) lauded the "Transportation for Tomorrow" report released during a press conference Tuesday in Washington, D.C.
"[The commission] has put forth some bold and groundbreaking concepts to deliver on the promise of mobility for this and future generations," said Pete Rahn, president of AASHTO. Meanwhile, ATA President and CEO Bill Graves said, "As the commission report makes clear, trucking is, and will remain, the dominant mode of freight transportation. Consequently, the trucking industry is acutely aware of the magnitude of the problems facing the nation in maintaining the world's pre-eminent transportation and infrastructure network.
 "Fixing our infrastructure problems is, without question, a significant financial undertaking," Graves continued. "Current revenue streams are failing to keep pace with infrastructure needs.
The commission report illustrates that any increased investment must be coupled with systematic reforms, which would be essential to any long-term solution."
  Rahn said AASHTO supports the commission's insistence that:
• there must be a strong federal role and support for a national transportation system;
• there must be a significant increase in investment to preserve our system and modernize it for the future; and
• the user fee concept is an essential element in providing that revenue support.
AASHTO Executive Director John Horsley said "I commend the 12-members of the commission for their devotion and the countless hours they spent gathering the perspectives of transportation users and providers from around the country. I am also gratified that much of the information and many of the recommendations provided by AASHTO are reflected in this report." Horsley said.
The commission's report calls for fundamental reform of the federal transportation program - to restore public confidence and it offers mechanisms to ensure that federal spending is focused on genuine national interests. "Some of the recommendations in this report will be considered controversial, but clearly the ideas presented will help to stimulate the national debate we must have if we are to chart a course for a transportation network equal to the demands of the 21st century." Rahn said. The commission's report is available at www.transportationfortomorrow.org.
AASHTO prepared a series of reports on key transportation issues such as investment needs, revenue options, and accelerating project delivery. To access this information got to www.transportationfuture.org.