The Eno Center for Transportation > Articles > Week of July 22, 2019

Eno Transportation Weekly

Week of July 22, 2019

Highway Trust Fund, Highways, Surface Reauthorization

Senate to Mark Up Highway Reauthorization Bill With 17% First-Year Funding Increase

July 26, 2019 - The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is preparing to mark up a draft five-year federal-aid highway program reauthorization bill on July 30 that will provide a first-year increase in Federal Highway Administration contract authority for fiscal 2021 that is about 17 percent higher than the fiscal 2020 amount provided by the FAST Act of 2015.

Ballot measure, Federal funding, Governance

New GAO Report Finds Issues, Posits Few Solutions

July 26, 2019 - Support for capital investments in public transit is high in the United States. Evidence for this can be found in measures for new investments that voters approve with regularity at the ballot box, the state legislatures raising their own sources for capital projects, and the widespread recognition that boosting ridership requires investment in the right priorities.

In This Issue

Appropriations, Budget, FY10

House Passes 2-Year Budget/Debt Limit Deal

July 25, 2019 The House of Representatives has passed H.R. 3877, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019, by a roll call vote of 284 to 149 at 5:12 p.m. The party split was as follows: Yes No Dem. 219 16 Repub. 65 132 Ind... Sorry - you don't have access to this item. Please log [...]

By Jeff Davis

accessibility, ADA, Ballot measure, Governance, Microtransit, Project Delivery, Public/private partnerships, Regional governance, Shared vehicles, State governance

Spotlight on Measure M

This week, Eno released an important new paper from UCLA’s Michael Manville about one of the most significant transportation ballot measures in recent years. Los Angeles County voters approved Measure M in November 2016.

By Robert Puentes

Construction worker looking towards subway tunnel

FTA, GAO, transit

GAO Recommends FTA Improve its Cost Estimate Guidance for New Starts

July 26, 2019 – This week, the U.S. Government Accountability Office issued a new report recommending that the Federal Transit Administration expand and improve its cost estimating procedures for rail transit projects and the cost estimate guidance it gives to local transit agencies.

By Jeff Davis

Freight rail, Maritime, ports, Railroads

Shippers Voice Concern Over Poor Railroad Communications, Access Charges

July 26, 2019 – The House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials held a “Railroad Shippers Roundtable” on July 25, following up on the June 20 hearing. The various participants were in consensus regarding their most pressing issues, namely faulty communication with railroad companies and problematic demurrage and accessorial charges.

By Aaron Somo

Aviation, FAA

FAA Administrator Confirmed, and his Deputy Gets to Keep His Job

July 26, 2019 – The Federal Aviation Administration will finally have a permanent Administrator for the first time since January 7, 2018.

By Christopher Oster

Freight, Highways, USDOT

USDOT Announces 20 More INFRA Grants for FY19

July 25, 2019 – Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced the recipients of the fiscal year 2019 round of INFRA grant funding provided by the FAST Act of 2015, with 20 projects totaling $856 million in federal funds.

By Jeff Davis

Freight, GAO, Highways, Infrastructure, USDOT

GAO Repeats Its Call for a More Transparent, Consistent Selection for INFRA Grants

July 26, 2019 – A new report from GAO again calls into question the transparency of the USDOT process for selecting INFRA grants, echoing earlier findings and recommendations from GAO and Eno.

By Paul Lewis

connected vehicles, Pedestrian safety, Public health, Traffic safety

House Panel Probes Proposed Bills in Car Safety Hearing

July 26, 2019 – With over 40,000 deaths attributed to on and off-road related vehicle incident in 2017 and 2018, vehicle related fatalities has made itself a persistent problem in the United States. The House Subcommittee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing on “Legislation to make cars in America Safer” on Wednesday, July 24.

By Christopher Oster

Buses, FY19, transit

FTA Makes $85M in Low-No Emission Bus Grants

July 26, 2019 – Earlier today, the Federal Transit Administration announced 38 grants to transit agencies for purchase of low or no emission buses, totaling $85 million.

By Jeff Davis

Project Delivery, Surface Reauthorization

Senate Panel Approves Bill Making FAST-41 Permitting Reforms Permanent

July 25, 2019 – Yesterday, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs approved a bill (S. 1976) that would make the infrastructure project permitting reforms in title 41 of the FAST Act (“FAST-41”) permanent.

By Jeff Davis

Capitol Hill Events – Week of July 29, 2019

Tuesday, July 30 – Senate Environment and Public Works – full committee markup of a draft highway reauthorization bill and S. 1992, repealing the July 1, 2020 highway rescission – 9:00 a.m., SD-406 Dirksen. Wednesday, July 31 – Senate Appropriations – Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing – subcommittee hearing on oversight of the FAA (witness list [...]

By Jeff Davis