Dive Brief:
- U.S. Reps. Kristen McDonald Rivet, D-Mich., and Rob Bresnahan, R-Pa., introduced legislation that would make it easier for cities, counties and municipalities to receive federal dollars for road, bridge and safety projects.
- The bill would increase funding for transportation programs and give local officials more say in where to invest federal funds.
- The National League of Cities, National Association of Counties, U.S. Conference of Mayors, Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations, National Association of Development Organizations and National Association of Regional Councils support the bill.
Dive Insight:
As the multiyear surface transportation legislation takes shape in Congress this year, communities want more control over which projects get funded. Locally owned roads comprise 43% of the Federal-Aid Highway System. However, local and regional entities get about 16% of federal transportation funds, according to the Local Officials in Transportation Coalition, comprised of city, county and metropolitan planning organizations.
The bill seeks to streamline access to funds for regional priority projects, improve accountability and focus on road safety. “We need to be able to get the money out faster to where it's intended to go,” Brittney Kohler, NLC legislative director of transportation and infrastructure, said in an interview.
“As Congress develops the next authorization bill, it is essential local governments are fully and meaningfully included as principal stakeholders,” the coalition said in a Feb. 13 letter to the leaders of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
“To meet our shared goal of improving infrastructure and directing investment where it is needed most, the next surface transportation reauthorization must deliver federal formula funding fairly based on the ownership and the national goals of the system including condition, performance and safety,” the letter said.
Kohler said the coalition will focus on the Surface Transportation Block Grant program, administered by the Federal Highway Administration, which offers flexibility and is shared with localities. Funding may be used for any federal-aid highway, bridge or tunnel project, including pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, transit capital projects and intercity bus terminals. “It's a really nice way to make sure that small communities can get projects onto the list,” she said.
“MPOs are where local leaders, state DOTs and transit providers come together to set priorities based on local needs and data, and to deliver projects that reflect how people actually travel and how goods move,” Pragati Srivastava, president of the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations, said in a statement. “The BASICS Act strengthens that work by reinforcing local and regional decision-making and improving access to the core formula funds that regions rely on.”
Kohler said the BASICS Act will be “a top ask” when the NLC, NACo, NADO and AMPO meet with congressional leaders and staff over the coming weeks.
The American Public Works Association and the National Association of County Engineers also support the bill.
