Details of 18-month extension released

The Obama administration has released details of a mini-authorization proposal that would extend current federal highway and public transportation programs and funding levels for 18 months and incorporates several new administration policy priorities.

The plan would transfer $18 billion from the federal General Fund to the Highway Trust Fund Highway Account for FY 2009 and FY 2010 and $2 billion to the HTF Mass Transit Account for FY 2010 to address the HTF’s deteriorating fiscal situation. The transfer would be repaid over 10 years by a yet to be determined revenue source. The administration suggested initiatives to develop guidelines for multimodal regional access plans and livable communities (land-use planning, smart growth) could be included in the extension.

The administration also proposes allocating $300 million to improve data collection for states and metropolitan planning organizations; $10 million to help states and localities improve cross-modal project evaluation; and increased transparency and reporting on the spending of federal transportation funds.