The new 2012 budget includes a $129 billion for the first year of a six-year plan for the US Department of Transportation. It will put Americans to work repairing the bridges and repaving the roads we have now, while supporting the development of the new electric buses and high-speed rail lines of America’s future.  With optimism it would lay a foundation for economic growth and competitiveness by rebuilding the nation’s transportation systems, enabling innovative solutions to transportation challenges and ensuring transportation safety for all Americans.  However it is argued that the proposal falls short of effectively dealing with transportation needs and questions of where this funding will come from is unclear.  The major objectives of the new proposal will:

 

  • Consolidate DOT programs and streamline more than 55 programs into five core programs intended to eliminate overlap among programs and reduce the amount of red tape. By cutting inefficiency and bureaucracy, projects will be able to move forward more quickly.
  • Spend at total of $53 billion, over the next six years, on a National high-speed rail system, with the goal of being able to provide 80% of Americans access to within 25 years.
  • Spend $336 billion to rebuild roads and bridges
  • Spend $119 billion in funding for affordable, sustainable, and efficient transit options
  • Create a National Infrastructure Bank to leverage private capital to build complex large-scale projects that hold significant economic benefits to a region or the nation as a whole
  • Create the Transportation Leadership Awards that would prioritize innovative programs and technological solutions.
  • Spend $1.2 billion to modernize air traffic control systems
  • Spend $50 billion on the campaign against distracted driving, and $35 million to promote seat belts and to fight drunk driving.

To learn more about the new 2012 budget read more at allvoices.com