Transportation Infrastructure: Issues for Congressional Consideration During Reauthorization of Surface Transportation Programs

GAO discussed highway and highway safety reauthorization issues, focusing on the proposed Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991. GAO noted that: (1) the proposed funding would increase overall surface transportation purchasing power; (2) it was unclear whether the funding increases would actually be realized, given the anticipated competition between transportation and other federal discretionary spending; (3) the bill would allow several states to more easily absorb significant reductions in the federal share for most highway projects; (4) the bill set a higher federal share for preservation than for capacity enhancement activities, and required development of interstate preservation standards; (5) states could use tolls on federal-aid highways to increase available funds for highway construction and maintenance; (6) the bill proposed that the Department of Transportation (DOT) adopt a level-of-services (LOS) methodology to identify bridges eligible for federal aid, but the methodology did not allow for varying magnitudes of deficiency; (7) a proposed intermodal investment strategy would address congestion and clean air goals; (8) metropolitan planning organizations' experience in programming highway funds varied significantly, as did their organizational structures and public support; and (9) the bill emphasized use and enforcement of motorcycle helmet and automobile safety belt laws.