Abstract: The Transportation Equity Act for 21st Century (TEA-21), successor to 1991's Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, gained final Capitol Hill passage on May 22, 1998. After vote on funding for roads, bridges, rail, and transit projects through 2003, Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater called it the largest transportation bill passed in history of nation. TEA-21 makes relatively few policy changes to its predecessor, which had insisted on a bigger role for local planning, added environmental programs, and gave states more leeway in shifting road aid to transit projects. But new bill departs substantially on funding levels. It authorizes an immense boost in spending, ensures that sums authorized will go for transportation, and redistributes highway aid among states with a revised formula. Of new Bill's $204 billion, highways will get some $165 billion, or $27.5 billion per year, 18% above 1998's $23.3 billion. Mass transit will get $36 billion, or $6 billion annually, up 25% from 1998's $4.8 billion. Even more important than spending levels is that TEA-21 aims to guarantee those hefty amounts it authorizes and includes ironclad firewalls that prevent Highway Trust Fund dollars from going to nontransportation programs.
Publication Year: 1998
Publication Date: 1998-06-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 1
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