Jim Tymon (above), executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, recently outlined a number of key industry trends for 2026 during an episode of “Transportation Matters with Jim Tymon.”
[Above photo by AASHTO]
AASHTO noted that this is a new quarterly video series that gives a national perspective on transportation topics through the eyes of the state department of transportation community.
In the video, Tymon reflects on AASHTO’s accomplishments in 2025 and looked ahead to the organization’s major priorities for 2026.
He discussed how safety remains an ongoing focus for state departments of transportation, outlined progress on federal coordination with the U.S. Department of Transportation, and shared insights on surface transportation reauthorization, regulatory implementation, and emerging issues such as artificial intelligence.
“We are looking forward to working with Congress, the administration, and our members to reauthorize surface transportation funding this year,” Tymon noted in the video.
“The number one priority is focusing on the formula funding that goes back to the state DOTs. That is really the bread and butter of this bill and it has been for the last 30 to 40 years,” he explained. “The core highway and transit formula programs provide a level of consistency to state DOTs and transit agencies that they need in order to plan and build projects over the next five to six years. That predictability of funding gives us an advantage when looking out to the future.”
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