Slade Gorton: Federal transpo dollars should follow clearly stated national objectives
The Bellingham Herald
Aug. 31, 2009
Former Washington Sen. Slade Gorton wrote an intersting op-ed piece in The Seattle Times calling for a change in the way that federal transportation dollars are allocated.
No more earmarks, he says, and the feds need to set national goals for transportation projects and ensure every dollar goes to those goals. The states that do best should get that funding.
The goals should include things like improving safety and efficiency (reducing congestion) and reducing harm to the environment, especially the climate.
Click here to read the interesting piece in the Times. Click here to see more on the new group he’s a part of, National Transportation Policy Project.
Washington could benefit from the new system, he wrote:
Our region stands to benefit greatly from a federal program that aims to maximize returns on its transportation investments. Investments like the Alaskan Way Tunnel alternative and extensions of the new light-rail system are likely to perform well with respect to the metrics we propose, and may well have an easier time securing federal dollars.
He is part of a new group called the National Transportation Policy Project. They’re hoping to put pressure on Congress.
What do you think?
-- from the Traffic Talk blog
