In testimony before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure last week, Federal Highway Administrator Mary Peters outlined the Bush Administration’s plan for reducing congestion: build more highways.  The committee’s hearing, aimed at identifying strategies for relieving congestion, was sixth in a series on the reauthorization of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21^st Century.

Two key themes that emerged from Peters’ testimony were adding highway capacity and “streamlining” the environmental review process for transportation projects.  “Unless we manage highway congestion, our nation will continue to incur economic costs in forgone productivity, wasted fuel, and a reduced quality of life,” Peters said.  “Strategic expansion of our transportation system capacity is necessary in certain instances to address our existing and growing mobility needs.”

Peters said FHWA data shows that while highway mileage increased only 2% over the last two decades, highway travel increased 80% and the number of drivers increased by 30%.She outlined how 84% of the nation’s $7 trillion in freight traffic travels on highways.  However, rather than implementing strategies to reverse these trends, the Bush administration DOT seems intent on accommodating them — while bypassing the environmental review process.

“Our environmental streamlining efforts can also help improve system preservation management and expedite the addition of new capacity,” Peters said.

Other witnesses, including representatives from the Utah Dept. of Transportation, highway advocacy groups and trucking organizations focused on highway building and “streamlining” as well.

This group seemed to spell out the general parameters of the agenda that transportation reactionaries will push in next year’s reauthorization of federal transportation legislation.  A big question is how strongly that agenda will be represented in the bill the Bush administration may propose as early as this fall. 

In a very different vein, Michael Replogle of Environmental Defense outlined in his testimony several ways that federal and state governments can reduce congestion without widening or building roads.

He urged Congress to promote and extend “Commuter Choice” programs, which provide financial incentives for commuters to use transit, carpool, walk, or bike to work; encourage the use of higher tolls at peak traffic times or for solo drivers in designated lanes; fund research for use-based car insurance, where drivers save by driving less; and promote transit, bicycling and walking.

“Throwing more money into road building and streamlining project reviews to curtail consideration of environmental factors in transportation decisions won’t solve congestion,” Replogle said.  “But better accountability, planning, consideration of alternatives, and support for new smart incentive strategies can help local and state agencies, business, and citizens cut their way through our traffic mess.”

"Streamlining" or Steamrolling?  
House Transportation Chair Pushes Radical Bill (March 18, 2002)

Jeffords Says "TEA-3" Hearings to Begin Soon (Dec. 17, 2001)

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