Transportation - Invest in Our Future: America's Freight Challenge

As trade barriers fall around the world, a new trade barrier is rising around the American continent. Congestion at the nation's ports, on its highways, and along its railroads is becoming the new tariff of the 21st Century. This congestion increases travel times, it disrupts tightly planned supply chains, and it raises the costs of doing business with America and in America. The effect of rising congestion is like a tax--only it escalates every year without a vote of the people. This congestion tax can be repealed only if the United States adopts a new vision and new strategy for a global, 21st Century American transportation system. The foundations of this congestion crisis are built upon the aging transportation network that serves the United States today: The Interstate Highway System was planned in the 1950s for traffic volumes of the 1980s; America's rail network was planned in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries to meet the needs of a newly emerging industrial nation; America's water ports are being overwhelmed by foreign trade; and, perhaps more serious than the problems in any one mode is the increasing need to improve connections between modes. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) produced this report for the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission to warn national policy makers of this impending crisis. AASHTO also proposes a series of far-reaching policies that must be adopted if America is to retain its competitive advantage. This report is presented in five chapters: (1) Driving Trends of Congestion; (2) The American Economy--Faster, Smarter and Leaner; (3) America's Freight Transportation Network--Struggling to Keep Up; (4) Intermodal Connections--The Missing Links; and (5) What Needs to Be Done.

• Record URL:
  http://www.tficillinois.org/app/download/7053443604/AASHTO-4-Invest+In+Our+Future-May07.pdf
• Record URL:
  http://downloads.transportation.org/tif2-1.pdf
• 
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/9781560513728
• Corporate Authors:

  American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

  444 North Capitol Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Publication Date: 2007-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; Photos; Tables;
• Pagination: 40p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Economic factors; Freight transportation; Intermodal facilities; Port congestion; Ports; Railroads; Traffic congestion; Transportation policy
• Identifier Terms: Interstate Highway System
• Uncontrolled Terms: Congestion (Railroads)
• Geographic Terms: United States
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Economics; Freight Transportation; Highways; Marine Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Railroads; Terminals and Facilities; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01049441
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 9781560513728
• Report/Paper Numbers: TIF3-1
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 18 2007 2:20PM