Highway Users Applaud DOT Proposal for Emphasis on Roadway Safety, Congestion Relief

Group Pledges to Work with Congress to Increase Investment Levels

WASHINGTON, May 14 -- The American Highway Users Alliance commended a proposal to reauthorize the federal highway program unveiled today by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), saying that the draft legislation -- known by the acronym "SAFETEA" -- would make a number of improvements to the current program. In particular, the Highway Users applauded SAFETEA for placing greater emphasis on roadway safety and for advancing a number of innovative proposals to reduce traffic congestion.

"Safety has often been a rhetorical priority in past transportation bills," said Diane Steed, president and CEO of the Highway Users. "But with highway fatalities in the U.S. hovering relentlessly between 42,000 and 43,000 per year, it is time for more than talk, and this bill demonstrates a true commitment to highway safety." SAFETEA proposes the creation of a new highway safety improvement program funded at $1 billion in 2004 and growing each year to $1.5 billion in 2009.

Steed explained that highway safety campaigns often focus on one of three primary targets: the driver, the vehicle or the road. "While promoting safe driving behavior and building more crashworthy vehicles have rightly received significant attention over past decades, engineering our roads and bridges to be safer and more forgiving when driver errors inevitably occur now deserves that same level of emphasis," she continued. "Congress should fund this new program and dedicate all spending to making needed roadway safety improvements -- like removing roadside obstacles, adding medians and wider shoulders, providing proper winter maintenance, and improving pavement markings and signs."

DOT proposed SAFETEA as a successor to the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA 21), the current law governing all federal highway funding and policies. TEA 21 will expire on September 30, 2003, and the unveiling of DOT's proposal serves as the opening salvo for congressional action to draft a new law.

"SAFETEA also lays out a number of innovative ideas for tackling our growing traffic congestion problems, which have become serious headaches in nearly every major city," said Steed. She particularly urged Congress to adopt DOT's proposal to fund "ready-to-go" projects at major traffic bottlenecks and to cut bureaucratic delay in the project development process so needed highway projects can move to completion more expeditiously.

Steed cautioned, however, that the total funding levels proposed by SAFETEA would be entirely insufficient given the tremendous backlog of needed highway and bridge improvement projects DOT has identified. According to DOT's own estimates, all levels of government would need to increase highway investments by at least $50 billion annually to improve roadway conditions and reduce traffic congestion. Instead, SAFETEA proposes a $2.3 billion cut in federal highway spending for 2004, going from $31.6 billion in 2003 to a proposed $29.3 billion. Under SAFETEA, highway funding would not equal 2003 levels until 2007.

"We are committed to working with congressional leaders to identify creative strategies for increasing needed highway investments," Steed continued. The chairmen of key House and Senate committees charged with drafting new highway legislation have stated their support for highway funding levels significantly higher than those proposed by SAFETEA. Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, has indicated his support for a highway program funded at an annual average of $42.5 billion over the next six years. On the other side of the Capitol, Rep. Don Young (R- AK), chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and the committee's ranking Democrat, Rep. James Oberstar (MN), have endorsed highway investments averaging $50 billion for the next six years.

"SAFETEA represents a solid first step in the process, and we look forward to working with Congress to develop a highway bill that delivers a safer, less congested highway system for all Americans," concluded Steed.

The American Highway Users Alliance represents motorists, truckers, bus companies and a broad cross-section of businesses that depend on safe and efficient highways to transport their families, customers, employees, and products. Highway Users members pay the taxes that finance the federal highway program and advocate public policies that dedicate those taxes to improved highway safety and mobility.