We reported yesterday that the president's six-year transportation plan proposes simplifying federal policy by eliminating 55 highway programs and rolling them all into five umbrella programs: the National Highway Program, Highway Safety Improvement, Livable Communities, Federal Allocation, and Research, Technology, and Education.
Here's the list, from DOT, of the 55 programs they intend to consolidate. There are a few popular programs among livability advocates in here, like Safe Routes to School, bicycle and pedestrian grants, and the TIFIA loan program. If this consolidation plan is enacted, it will be up to advocates to continue to push for important projects once they no longer have a dedicated funding source.
Many transportation reformers have spoken in favor of more competitive, more flexible funding. Here it is, folks.
The programs that will be "consolidated" out of existence:
Interstate Maintenance (IM)
Highway Bridge Program (Bridge)
National Highway System (NHS)
Surface Transportation Program (STP)
Ferry Boat Program
Appalachian Development Highway System
Equity Bonus (EB)
Historic Covered Bridge Preservation
Puerto Rico Highway Program
Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP)
Hazard Elimination & Rail Highway Crossings
Railway-Highway Crossings (deduction from HSIP)
High Risk Rural Roads Program
Operation Lifesaver
Work Zone Safety Grants
National Work Zone Safety Clearinghouse
Road Safety (Delta and Public Awareness)
Congestion Mitigation & Air Quality (CMAQ)
STP, Transportation Enhancements
Recreational Trails
Scenic Byways
America's Byways Resource Center
Safe Routes to School
Transportation, Community, and System Preservation
Tanya became Streetsblog's Capitol Hill editor in September 2010 after covering Congress for Pacifica Radios Washington bureau and for public radio stations around the country. She lives car-free in a transit-oriented and bike-friendly neighborhood of Washington, DC.
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