Title: UNCLE SAM'S TEA PARTY: HOW TEA-21 HAS AFFECTED OUR NATION'S TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS
Abstract: The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) was signed into law in June 1998. It was the result of more than 3 years of lobbying by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, transportation leaders in Congress, and other groups who sought the removal of the government's transportation trust funds (highway, airport, harbor maintenance, and inland waterways) from the budget. The purpose of the legislation was to ensure that all money collected from gas taxes would be spent on transportation improvements as originally intended. Accepted practice in the past was to use balances from this tax to offset deficits in other areas. In addition to guaranteed investment levels, TEA-21 includes special programs to ensure mobility and access to jobs, health care, and recreational activities for Americans. More than $217 billion in federal funds ($175 billion for highways and $42 billion for transit) will be invested over the next few years into the nation's surface transportation infrastructure. TEA-21 has also expanded railroad development and created three new programs directed specifically at improving America's railroad and high-speed ground transportation infrastructure. After just one year, it is still too early for most in the industry to personally feel the effects this new law will have on them, but many engineers trust the effects on the market will be positive.
Publication Year: 1999
Publication Date: 1999-08-01
Language: en
Type: article
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