Federal Action On Sept. 30, 2009, the current federal surface transportation act expires. The previous authorization provided $286.5 billion for highways, public transportation and highway safety programs for fiscal years 2004-2009. This amount does not include the additional $9 billion in general funds Congress added to the federal highway trust fund in September 2008.
Both the House and Senate have begun to develop their vision for the new authorization. Although specifics were not available at press time, Congressman James Oberstar, chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has reported that he will release a detailed outline in early February 2009 of his plans for the new authorization.
The 111th Congress also is working on a stimulus package for the new president's early consideration. The package is expected to contain funds for ready-to-go infrastructure projects. Actual figures are still being negotiated, but tens of billions of dollars likely will go to transportation-related projects. Senate staff are concerned that including too large a transportation infrastructure component in the stimulus bill might ease the pressure to complete the new authorization by September 30.