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Introducing the Transportation Infrastructure Thought Leadership Series
Funding Future Mobility: Series Introduction
January 03, 2012
Next time you are in a window seat on an airplane, take a look down. You will see a network of roads and bridges, appearing almost like a network of arteries and veins, pumping life and vitality through the cities and countryside below. An accurate metaphor to be sure, in many ways that’s exactly what a nation’s transportation system is: a circulatory system of economic vitality.
It would be hard to imagine what life would be like if the major roads, bridges and transit systems in the United States were no longer there.
For most of us, mobility is as critical as the air we breathe or the water we drink. Personal mobility helps us commute to work, go to school, shop, socialize, and relax. Just as important to our wellbeing is the movement of freight to support our cities, towns and businesses. There is little doubt that the ability to move people and goods is among a nation’s most important imperatives. It is also something most of us take for granted.
Ominous Clouds for U.S. Infrastructure
It would be hard to imagine what life would be like if the major roads, bridges and transit systems in the United States were no longer there. While these systems will be in place tomorrow and next year, most transportation infrastructure is aging and will demand rebuilding and expansion in the decades ahead. We have already seen major bridge collapses and increasing congestion in U.S. cities—these are dramatic signs of our underinvestment in transportation infrastructure, and the clouds on the horizon are becoming darker and more ominous all the time.
The United States is facing a crisis in transportation infrastructure underfunding and underinvestment. Why? Unlike water and energy, which are essentially funded through direct user charges, U.S. transportation is largely viewed as an entitlement which is “free,” particularly when it comes to streets and highways. Transportation is primarily funded through taxes, which are set by elected officials. In recent years, it has become clear that the quickest way to become an “un-elected” official is to raise taxes—no matter how obvious the need or crystal clear the benefits.
Ongoing Transportation Infrastructure Series
In this thought leadership series—called “Funding Future Mobility”—we will focus on one of the biggest challenges facing the future of the United States: preserving and enhancing the transportation systems that pump economic life and wellbeing through the country. We will cover a range of topics, beginning with a look at the current state of infrastructure finance and the big price that is already being paid as a result of low taxes. We’ll also look to new directions for transportation finance and a potentially more rational system of user fees to ensure mobility for years to come. Finally, the time is near to begin pricing freeways and expressways, including the U.S. interstate highway system, to move off the gas tax to a per-mile charge. Together, we will explore the current state of U.S. infrastructure and debate the future of transportation finance.
Ed Regan is a CDM Smith senior vice president based in Columbia, South Carolina, USA, and a preeminent thought leader on transportation finance and planning. Nearly 4 decades of dedication to the toll industry have fed his passion to advocate sustainable solutions for funding transportation infrastructure today and in the future.
