'Our Roads Are More Than Just Highways': Democrats Urge U.S. Senate Not to Defund Multimodal Programs - Streetsblog USA

"Congress could be days away from passing a bill that strips local communities of stable funding for multimodal transportation and deprives the entire country of predictable rail dollars that the overwhelming majority of Americans demand."

"For all of its flaws, the BIL did at least one thing right: It provided local communities with historic levels of "predictable, multi-year funding" for multimodal transportation projects for five years, thereby insulating projects from the fickle whims of Congress's annual appropriations process."

"Since infrastructure projects generally take several years to plan and complete - especially ambitious ones like new rail lines, high quality bike paths and major road diets to keep pedestrians safe - this funding structure allowed communities to dream bigger about their transportation futures."

"It also allowed locals to apply for far more grant money directly, rather than forcing them to rely on state-level Departments of Transportation, who far too often redirect gas tax receipts generated on city roads to pay for highway expansions"

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will expire on Oct. 1, and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is expected to begin marking up a replacement bill soon. Senate Democrats urged the appropriations committee to resist Trump administration demands and renew multi-year funding for multimodal grant programs in the next federal transportation law. The chairman of the House committee has indicated support for a traditional highway bill and suggested lawmakers should avoid spending on murals, train stations, bike paths, and walking paths. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided predictable, multi-year funding for multimodal transportation projects for five years, reducing dependence on annual appropriations. This structure supported long planning and completion timelines and enabled local communities to apply directly for grants rather than relying on state agencies that may redirect city-generated gas tax receipts to highway expansions.

Read at Streetsblog USA