Full Title: Grinding to a Halt: Examining the Impacts of New Ozone Regulations on Key Transportation Projects
Author(s): U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Institute for 21st Century Energy
Publisher(s): U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Institute for 21st Century Energy
Publication Date: July 1, 2015
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
America’s transportation system is in dire need of repair. From coast to coast, urban and rural areas alike face deteriorating roads and transit systems, both hobbled by growing congestion and an increasingly limited ability to meet infrastructure needs that are literally the foundation of economic development and job growth.
Nearly 20 percent of America’s major roads are in poor condition.1 Vehicle repairs and extra operating expenses due to inadequate roads cost U.S. motorists $109 billion per year— equivalent to $516 per motorist.2 Population growth and increased travel have resulted in congestion on 44 percent of major urban highways, costing motorists $121 billion each year in wasted time and fuel costs. Similarly, many metropolitan areas face growing public transit challenges, from the maintenance and operation of existing systems to the construction of new capacity to accommodate increased ridership and demands for expanded service.
Meanwhile, state and local governments are scrambling to do more with less, as declining funding and Congressional inaction on needed reforms leaves few options beyond transportation triage. For these reasons and more, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has made securing long-term policy changes and funding certainty necessary to address transportation challenges a top priority.