State of the Union Address Puts Infrastructure at the Forefront
“I am asking both parties to come together to give us the safe, fast, reliable, and modern infrastructure our economy needs and our people deserve. Tonight, I am calling on the Congress to produce a bill that generates at least $1.5 trillion for the new infrastructure investment we need.”
President Donald Trump
January 30, 2018
With those words, the 45th President of the United States capped the annual State of the Union Address with a commitment to put infrastructure renewal at the core of his legislative plan for 2018.
The plan has been the subject of much discussion and speculation in Washington, DC, and details are still a work in progress. But last night’s speech confirmed two key features of the emerging infrastructure initiative, both of which bode well for user-financed transportation.
Private sector investment will be a centerpiece of a plan that will require states and cities to leverage the federal dollars they receive.
And a key objective of the White House plan is to streamline a permitting and approval process that has often put up needless barriers to highway and other infrastructure projects. In its response to the address, IBTTA clearly identified the ban on tolling existing Interstate highway capacity as one of those significant roadblocks.
“We applaud President Trump tonight for outlining a renewed focus on the need for bipartisan action towards improving and investing in America's transportation infrastructure,” said IBTTA Executive Director and CEO Patrick Jones.
"As we await the details of the White House’s infrastructure plan, we are encouraged by the President’s call to cut burdensome regulations and laws that prevent states from accessing all available funding options to meet their local needs,” he added. “The current federal restriction on tolling of the Interstate System is one such barrier to increased highway investment. Some of the highest capacity, Interstate quality highways in America would never have been built without tolling.”
“As the director of one of Colorado’s largest tolling systems, I’ve seen first-hand the power of toll-financed transportation to revolutionize mobility and provide critical transportation solutions at the local and state levels,” said IBTTA 2018 President Tim Stewart, Executive Director of the E-470 Public Highway Authority.
“As the White House and Congress seek to solve our nation’s infrastructure challenges, it is imperative they look across the country and see the way states and localities continue to embrace alternative forms of funding.”
“Reducing regulations and giving states and regions the tools and flexibility to meet our local needs will unleash further innovations in transportation, benefiting the American public for years to come,” added IBTTA Second Vice President Samuel Johnson, Chief Operating Officer for the Transportation Corridor Agencies in Orange County, California. “Let us do more!”
Click here for IBTTA’s media release in response to Tuesday night’s 2018 State of the Union Address.