Colin Peppard, transportation legislative assistant to Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), said Congress is currently in a process of “crisis governing”—making on-the-spot, short-term decisions about infrastructure investment measures.

“The Highway Trust Fund is structurally  insolvent; we’re seeing a longtime gap in revenue from federal gas tax,” Peppard said at the “Funding the Future of Transportation” session. “The Congressional Budget Office says we’re going to need another $114 billion just to maintain current funding levels. We don’t have the option of not acting. We can borrow money or make cuts, but neither is a very good option.”

Frederick (Bud) Wright, executive director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), emphasized the strong partnership between APTA and AASHTO and the importance of including public transit in federal transportation funding.

“We are spending about $14 billion more a year than we are collecting in revenues,” said Wright, who worked for 33 years at the Federal Highway Administration before his appointment at ­AASHTO in February. “The issue isn’t about which specific option to take; it’s about political will, timing, and the political process.”

He proposed a gas tax increase of about 10 cents per gallon as one way to sustain Highway Trust Fund levels, but said congressional leaders would have other proposals.

“We must sell the public on why we need to invest in public transportation,” Wright added. “Voters can’t identify with us when we talk about trillions of dollars. We have to show the American public what an investment in transportation means in daily life.”

Steven E. Sandherr, chief executive officer, Associated General Contractors of America, said people understand the need to raise taxes for infrastructure: for example, Wyoming has voted for tax increases to fund infrastructure improvements.

Deron Lovaas, director, Federal Transportation Policy, Energy and Transportation Program, Natural Resources Defense Council, noted the “conundrum” raised by gas tax legislation. Between rising fuel economy standards and declining vehicle miles traveled, revenues will continue to decline with a per-gallon gas tax.

“We have to change the way the federal surface transportation program looks now; the Interstate Highway era ended 20 years ago,” he explained. “We need to define the current program and make sure it emphasizes smart investments in roads and public transit, state of good repair—really focusing on people knowing what value they get for their money.”

Christopher Boylan, director, governmental and strategic partnerships for the General Contractors Association of New York Inc., moderated the session.

From left: Christopher Boylan, Deron Lovaas, Steven E. Sandherr, Frederick (Bud) Wright, and Colin Peppard.