A dead end on transportation

A dead end on transportation

Miami Herald: If you think our roads and bridges are in terrible shape, along with mass transit, you’re right. And it’s altogether possible you ain’t seen nuthin’ yet.

A critical renewal of federal support for transportation is going nowhere fast, with the clock ticking down toward a June 30 expiration date while House and Senate leaders fight over who’s to blame for the partisan gridlock.

For decades, federal legislation has supported the nation’s transportation infrastructure, although at a level that increasingly falls short of the need. The organization representing the nation’s civil engineers says the U.S. road system rates a D-minus as conditions deteriorate “to the point at which Americans spend 4.2 billion hours a year stuck in traffic at a cost of $78.2 billion a year in wasted time and fuel costs — $710 per motorist.” The poor condition of roads adds another $67 billion in repairs and operating costs to the bill.

In the past, Congress dealt with the issue by approving transportation bills covering five or six years, which allowed for orderly planning. Since 2009, when the last multi-year extension expired, it’s limped along on at least nine short-term fixes, making the dispute over transportation funding a case study in congressional dysfunction.

The inability to win agreement requires repeated confrontations in Congress over extensions, makes planning impossible.

This time, the Senate is taking the high road. One of its most liberal members, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and one of its most conservative, Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., are jointly spearheading an effort to get House members to agree to a bipartisan version passed in the Senate 74-22 that extends funding for two years.

Instead of using the transportation bill as a vehicle for ideological issues, House GOP members should line up with their Senate colleagues. A funding cutoff at this time would be a new low in congressional irresponsibility.