AASHTO Journal - Transportation Groups Back Key Reauthorization Points

On September 4, 63 transportation organizations sent a joint letter to the leadership of key Congressional committees that endorsed four key points underpinning ongoing work on the reauthorization of federal surface transportation funding legislation.

[Above photo by AASHTO]

“The undersigned organizations are united in their commitment to work with Congress and the Trump administration to build on this progress and enact a new surface transportation law before the Sept. 30, 2026, deadline,” the groups said in their letter to the leadership of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Senate’s Committee on Environment and Public Works.

“Modern, safe, and efficient infrastructure is the backbone of American commerce and daily life,” they emphasized. “Recent investment in the nation’s roads, bridges, and public transit systems has enabled safety enhancements and mobility improvements across the country. While progress has been made, much work remains.”

The four critical points advocated by all 63 groups are:

Maintain Baseline Investment Levels for Highways, Public Transit, and Multimodal Programs: “Highway, bridge, and public transit investment levels for fiscal year 2026 should, at minimum, be carried forward with inflation adjustments, regardless of the previous budgetary source of these programs,” the groups said in their letter. “These investments are needed for safety enhancements, infrastructure rebuild, and congestion relief.”
Maximize State Flexibility: “The greatness of our nation is founded in the distinct attributes of all 50 states,” they noted. “An effective national transportation program must provide states the necessary flexibility and resources through formula funds to meet the unique needs of each community.”
Prioritize Safety for All System Users: “Increased investment and research should be directed at improving roadway, public transit, and work zone safety to ensure the traveling public and construction workers get home safely at the end of each day,” they said.
Reform Project Delivery to Accelerate Construction and Control Costs: “Modernization of federal requirements can identify and eliminate challenges in the environmental review and permitting process that stand in the way of timely project delivery,” the organizations stressed in their letter. “Strengthening ‘One Federal Decision’ to ensure its full utilization and creating a timely waiver process for Buy America while maintaining existing exemptions for certain construction materials will help ensure federal investment is focused on building transportation solutions, not process hurdles.”

Together, those principles call for legislation that will help build “a transportation system necessary to drive economic prosperity,” the groups said.