U.S. mayors want greater input in federal transportation funding decisions

Last week the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) released the results of a recent survey of mayors in 176 cities on local infrastructure investment. The study revealed that mayors want the federal government to spend more money on infrastructure projects in metropolitan areas rather than highway expansion projects.

In releasing the results, Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed, the chair of USCM’s Transportation Committee, said that the federal government should shift its attention to transportation infrastructure in major cities, as these areas are now home to two-thirds of U.S. residents.

“As the federal government sets priorities for long-term spending and deficit reduction, future transportation infrastructure investments should focus spending on pressing metropolitan transportation infrastructure needs as opposed to low-priority highway expansion projects such as the infamous Bridge to Nowhere,” Mayor Reed said.

Reed added, “The long-term productivity of transportation infrastructure spending is greater when it is invested where economic growth will occur, which is in the metropolitan areas.”

According to the survey 96 percent of mayors believed the federal government needed to increase spending on transportation infrastructure to fix rapidly deteriorating public infrastructure.

In addition, a strong majority supported raising the gas tax to provide additional funds to improve infrastructure. But an overwhelming majority of mayors, 93 percent, would not support increasing the gas tax if the disbursement of transportation funds were not amended to allow a greater portion to be allocated directly to cities and metropolitan areas.

89 percent of Mayors suggested that more funds should be invested in local road and bridge projects, while 65 percent thought that the spending should focus on public transit system. On the opposite end of the spectrum, 80 percent of mayors believe that highway expansion should be a low priority for the federal government.

Other survey results include 98 percent of mayors believe that affordable and reliable transportation is a key to their cities’ economic growth and 93 percent of mayors wanted cities to receive a greater share of federal funds directly.

Finally, 75 percent of mayors believe that a national infrastructure bank or some other type of federal infrastructure finance tool would help spur the number of transportation projects currently being under taken.