L.A. officials press state for funds to widen 405 Freeway
Area officials put on a full-court press in Sacramento after bond funding for new carpool lanes is threatened.
By Duke Helfand, Times Staff Writer
February 21, 2007

SACRAMENTO - After an intense day of lobbying in the state capital Tuesday, Los Angeles' top leaders appeared to be winning their fight to secure $730 million in bond money to widen one of the nation's most congested freeways, with one powerful legislator threatening to hold up funds for transportation projects statewide if the city and other congested areas don't get what they need.

More than a dozen Los Angeles-area elected officials - including Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, County Supervisor Gloria Molina and Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) - descended on the Capitol to voice their unhappiness with a recommendation by the California Transportation Commission staff to omit new carpool lanes for the 405 Freeway and other local projects from an initial funding list.

PR07-02-017 February 01, 2007
Contact: Press Office 212-669-3747
THOMPSON REPORT: MTA DELAYS IN REPAIRING AND FUNDING NYC RAILWAYS PUT RIDERS AT RISK

Urges adding $673 million more for NYC Transit repair and upgrade work
Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. today issued a report that faults the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for jeopardizing the safety and security of riders by consistently delaying critical infrastructure work in New York City.
A Review of MTA New York City Transit "State of Good Repair" Capital Expenditures found that since 1982, when the first MTA Five-Year Capital Plan was issued, large disparities have emerged between the commuter railroads and New York City Transit (NYC Transit) in achieving what the MTA itself considers a "State of Good Repair."
"New Yorkers are being shortchanged," Thompson said. "The MTA's efforts to bring the bus and subway system to a State of Good Repair have progressed slowly, raising concerns about rider safety and security. Service still has not reached the levels of reliability, safety and comfort New Yorkers require and deserve."

MTA CASH 'SIDETRACK'
By JEREMY OLSHAN
February 2, 2007 -- Vital repairs to the city's subway system are routinely postponed as suburban projects hog the MTA gravy train, the city comptroller charged yesterday.
City subways and buses account for 94 percent of MTA riders but get only 75.5 percent of the agency's $15 billion five-year capital budget, according to a report from Comptroller Bill Thompson.
"New Yorkers are being shortchanged," Thompson said while proposing raising the city's capital-funds share to 80 percent - an infusion of $673 million.
Although MTA officials said they needed time to review the report and could not comment, Thompson said he's confident MTA CEO Elliot Sander and Gov. Spitzer will correct the situation.

The Transportation Funding and Reform Commission, directed in 2005 to examine the funding crisis plaguing Pennsylvania’s highway, bridge and transit systems, had produced a preliminary report of its inital findings. The Transportation Funding and Reform Commission has completed its final report in November. The full report can be viewed as a PDF by clicking on the cover of the report below.

A taxing ride may be ahead for Pa.
A report recommends raising the gas tax 12.5 cents a gallon for roads, bridges and transit.
By Larry King
Inquirer Staff Writer
HARRISBURG - Higher gas taxes. Steeper car registration fees. Hikes in local realty transfer taxes, wage taxes or sales taxes. Perhaps even a lease of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

That politically risky prescription for fixing Pennsylvania's crumbling network of roads and bridges and ailing public transit was presented to state legislators yesterday by a bipartisan advisory commission. At least $1.7 billion in new funding annually, the panel said, is needed to prop up the transportation system.

...

The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century was enacted June 9, 1998 as Public Law 105-178. TEA-21 authorizes the Federal surface transportation programs for highways, highway safety, and transit for the 6-year period 1998-2003. The TEA 21 Restoration Act, enacted July 22, 1998, provided technical corrections to the original law. The material presented on this web site reflects the combined effect of these two laws and refers to this combination as TEA-21. The contents of the TEA-21 web site are organized as follows:

Committee Report 12 of 50 - House Report 109-203 - SAFE, ACCOUNTABLE, FLEXIBLE, EFFICIENT TRANSPORTATION EQUITY ACT: A LEGACY FOR USERS

Urban Road Reinvestment: The Effects of External Aid
George E. Peterson
American Economic Review, Vol. 76, No. 2, Papers and Proceedings of the Ninety-Eighth Annual Meeting of the American Economic Association (May, 1986) , pp. 159-164

This is the first Federal Highway Cost Allocation Study (HCAS) since 1982. There were two key reasons for conducting this study. The first was to determine how changes in the Federal highway program and user fees which support that program had affected the equity of Federal highway user fees. The second was to coordinate this effort with the concurrent U.S. Department of Transportation Comprehensive Truck Size and Weight (1997 U.S. DOT TS&W) Study. The 1997 U.S. DOT TS&W Study used analytical tools developed for this HCAS in estimating impacts of TS&W scenarios on infrastructure, environmental, and other costs and in estimating changes in user fees on various vehicle classes that would reflect changes in highway program costs associated with those scenarios. The base period for this study was 1993 to 1995, which covered the most up-to-date information available on Federal highway expenditure patterns since the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) was enacted. The analysis year is 2000. A 3-year average of highway costs and revenues was used to represent the base period (1993 to 1995) to reduce the effects of annual variations in costs and revenues. From the hyperlinked Table of Contents in this record's link, the user can select the section desired.

Highway construction and maintenance costs

John Christian and Linda Newton
Can. J. Civ. Eng./Rev. can. génie civ. 26(4): 445-452 (1999)

Full text (PDF 126 kb)    

Abstract: This paper gives details of the results of research on maintenance management practices and expenditures on road infrastructure in the province of New Brunswick during the period 1965-1994. An analysis of historic levels of spending on road maintenance, rehabilitation and new construction; current maintenance management practice; and the source and allocation of funds indicated three trends: (i) routine and preventive maintenance funding has steadily decreased over the past 30 years while traffic and vehicle registrations have increased; (ii) maintenance expenditures are not keeping pace with system needs; and (iii) there is a need for a review of traditional construction and maintenance management practices. Three cost prediction models were developed to determine an accurate cost for road maintenance. Based on the models and the management review, it was concluded that maintenance funding needs to be increased by 25% in conjunction with the implementation of a comprehensive maintenance management system, if the Department of Transportation is to adequately meet the current and future needs of the existing road network.

Key words: road maintenance, maintenance management, road construction.

    This report provides insights and guidance for those responsible for developing state highway maintenance budgets. The research is based on surveys of transportation chief administrative officers, state maintenance engineers, and state budgetary officials; site visits to 10 states; a review of analytical methods and management systems that can effectively support the budgeting process; and analysis of the key elements of effective maintenance budgeting strategies development. The report presents detailed maintenance budgeting improvement guidelines, together with examples of effective practices. The guidelines are designed primarily for state highway and transportation agencies, but should be of value to any highway organization seeking to improve its capabilities to secure the levels of funding needed to maintain its roads properly. The guidelines are divided into four major categories: guidelines for the overall budget process, for information and management systems, for media and communications, and for training and skills.

in progress research

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study is to develop a planning guide for (a) predicting cumulative transportation costs in newly developing areas associated with incremental and induced development over time and (b) identifying sources of revenue to respond to that development.

This effort will result in a report that documents effective methodologies to estimate the transportation infrastructure costs necessary to accommodate and support new development of various types with guidance and suggestions for how to apply the methodologies and analysis tools to real-world situations.
 

From the World Bank
The roads software tools knowledge base covers five main topics:

Road Costs Knowledge System (ROCKS) | Highway Development & Management Tools |
Road User Charges Model | Roads Economic Decision Model (RED) | Training

Ohio Legislative Budget Office Local Transportation Needs and Funding Report

direct download - http://www.lbo.state.oh.us/fiscal/publications/special/transportationstudylong.pdf
other reports - http://www.lsc.state.oh.us/special.html

Contains both the Executive Summary and the full version of the Fiscal Local Transportation Needs and Funding Report that was completed in response to the mandate in Section 10 of Am. Sub. 163 of the 123rd G.A.

Of Note - Part 2 : Local Government Needs for Roads and Bridges
Pages 33 -  

 

    -Determine the miles of roads in each area.
    -Determine the classifications
    -Survey participating governments to determine annual financial need and the condition of existing road  
    -Calculate annual maintenance costs 

several estimates are generated - one using surveyed need and the estimated costs per lane mile by location and functional class 

Transportation Funding Series Special Report No. 3
The third and final report in the series examined current and alternative funding options and the potential of these options to meet South Carolina's projected transportation infrastructure needs. A series of six scenarios were evaluated to determine the potential of meeting the $56.9 billion target of the South Carolina Multimodal Transportation Plan over the period from 2003 to 2022. The baseline scenario based on current funding sources at current rates projected a revenue stream of $26.3 billion over 20 years, leaving a $30.6 billion shortfall. Funding alternatives considered included two increased federal funding scenarios, supplemental funding sources, and initial rate increases in state fuel taxes and vehicle registration fees combined with inflation indexing.

    - Transportation Funding Options for the State of South Carolina 2003-2022
    By James B. London, Ellen W. Saltzman, and John C. Skinner et al.