Making the Most of MAP-21: A Guide to the 2012 Federal Transportation Law — And How to Use it for Positive Change in Your Community

After a delay of more than 1,000 days from the expiration of the previous law, Congress in summer of 2012 adopted an update to the federal transportation program known as Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st century, or MAP-21. While it stopped short of providing more robust funding or a sweeping vision for infrastructure in the 21st century, MAP- 21 makes significant changes to federal transportation policy that are critical to understand. There are key provisions that allow for engaged stakeholders, local officials and citizens to push for genuine progress. By the same token, other provisions are cause for concern and will require vigilant monitoring. Much more will depend now upon how well state departments of transportation manage affairs and attend to the needs of all their constituencies. Federal law no longer sets aside a minimum amount of money for repairing our roads and bridges, leaving it to states to decide whether to repair or replace what we have, or to build new facilities that will themselves need to be maintained. More types of projects now compete for the money allocated to metropolitan areas. The law cuts by a third the money dedicated to make our roads and neighborhoods safer for walking or biking, but it gives localities more direct control over what remains.

• Record URL:
  http://t4america.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/MAP-21-Handbook-Web.pdf
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation for America

  1707 L Street NW, Suite 250
  Washington, DC    20036
• Authors:
  • Gann, Georgia
  • Hartnett, Katy
  • DeGood, Kevin
  • Donohue, Nick
  • Kline, Sarah
• Publication Date: 2012

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; Tables;
• Pagination: 110p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Federal laws; Financing; Local government; Maintenance; Metropolitan areas; Public participation; State departments of transportation; Transportation policy
• Identifier Terms: Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act
• Subject Areas: Finance; Highways; Law; Policy; Public Transportation; I10: Economics and Administration;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01458024
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 31 2012 5:54PM