tax dollars are spent. we will continue to track the implementation of these reforms is the d.o.t. makes them and we welcome the opportunity to hear from state's counties perishes in city somehow these reforms are working and what tweaks should be considered for next bill. michael and i know senators vitter shares this goal is to move smoothly to pass a reauthorization bill in the epw committee that provides we hope vi years of hunting certainty. i have begun discussions with chairman wyden and ranking member hatch on funding this bill and addressing the sharp fall in the highway trust fund. this committee has a responsibility to reauthorize map-21. the finance committee has the responsibility to fund it but we are not going to let them just hang out there by themselves. we are going to work closely with them and others in

committees of jurisdiction such as commerce and banking to pass legislation with the same bipartisan support we experience experience with map-21 so we are going to marcus bell up at the end of april. we must move it forward and i know that members on this committee on both sides including senator carper and senator barrasso working with senators vitter and i are all committed to this. i hope hope what you'll do today is speak from the heart about what it means to you if in fact it is as important to you as a think it is. i hope he will tell us it's important. if you don't pick it's important, if you think the federal government could walk away from this tell us that. we need to know from you so this is a very important thing for me because again i have so much respect for folks who implement what we do here and with that i will turn it to my ranking member senators vitter. >> thank you madam chairman for

holding today's hearing. this is really important to get the local and state perspective on our transportation infrastructure. that is critical for us to gain understanding into our work properly. and thanks to all of our witnesses today. you have traveled a long way to be here and you have shown how important surface transportation infrastructure is to all of your communities. collectively you bring a diverse set of perspectives but a common goal of developing a first-class comprehensive transportation that work and i really look forward to hearing your views. i especially want to thank bill fontenot for making the trip from louisiana. mr. fontenot brings to unique and very relevant perspectives. right now he is president of saint landry parish. parishes are words for county in louisiana and i was very impressed when they use the word

parish and listing local jurisdictions. i think we are making leaps and bounds and advancement on this committee. i want to assure everyone we are not sending transportation money to local catholic churches. i would probably be in favor of that but that is not we are talking about. we are talking about counties in louisiana call parishes but pray to being elected parish president 2011 mr. fontenot worked as an engineer at the louisiana department of transportation and development for 38 years in the highway department. 18 of which he served as one of nine regional district administrators. surface transportation infrastructure consists of a lot of different types of rows but together they create a network. in order to have a healthy and efficient network all of those pieces need to remain strong. this means first investing in the critical rural roads and

bridges that we rely on to get so many of our kids to school and to go to work particularly in the ag and energy markets. this means investing in the interstate system to approve learned of commerce between states and investing in the vital quarters that link the two such a network is a fundamental component of our nations economy and essential to our quality of life. however we can't work towards that cohesive network if we don't have a reliable highway trust fund and prioritize proper investment in streamlined, flexible programs. recent actions represent a departure from the intent of the highway trust fund and prolonged economic uncertainty not only into direct investment of barbara structure but also the type of long-term investment of economic development at home and makes us more competitive abroad.

if we are going to be successful at putting such a structure back on a sustainable course, and of course we need to fix the financing piece but to fix the financing piece i think it's crucial that we also get the policy right and restore trust back into the highway trust fund. that means the trust fund needs to be sustainable and transparent. we need to be able to show where taxpayer dollars are going, where future investments will go we must continue to reduce costs and burdens in red tape that is unnecessary. flexible and accessible apportionment programs will also work to restore trust in the trust fund. while other investment tools can play an important role only such an apportionment program has the ability to improve our infrastructure across-the-board, provided steady revenue to mitigate uncertainty, provide a

base for innovative financing structures, empower local and state decision-making and keep the federal government out of the business of picking winners and losers. so we must resist the urge to move back towards small rigid programs that are silos that don't offer that flexibility toward a comprehensive vision that offers flexibility and real local and state empowerment to meet our needs. again i want to thank the chair and the witnesses for all of their hard work and i am genuinely looking forward to your ideas and perspectives. >> thank you senator. senator sanders. >> thank you very much madam chair. this is an enormously important hearing because it's vitally important that we hear from folks around the country who are struggling with one of the great

challenges that we have and that is the crumbling infrastructure and i'm especially delighted by the vermont secretary of transportation could be here with us. sue played a role when the state was hit by tropical storm irene. many of the towns were devastated and she was the recovery officer the recovery officers we attempted to rebuild those houses and she did a great job doing now. i think the bottom line is that i don't know that there is much disagreement among our representrepresent atives who come from all over the country and we are very appreciative that you were here that is a nation we are all aware that something is fundamentally wrong in vermont and i suspect in your states as well your bridges are crumbling and the roads are in need of repair. in many parts of this country unemployment is much too high

and we are sitting here in a situation where the rest of the world is spending significantly more money on rebuilding infrastructure than we are. i will tell you a story madam chair of someone who worked for me and went to china couple of years ago. they left china from a brand-new airport and when they were in china they were traveling on high-speed rail. they came back to the united states influence and overcrowded inadequate airport and he asked himself which was the developing country, which was the first world country and what was the third world country and we see that more and more. the bottom line to me is that we lose efficiency, we lose productivity, god knows how much money is being spent by individuals whose cars going to potholes and axles break and so on and so forth and people

waiting in traffic jams to get to work so we have a crisis. we have waited too long to address it. i was mayor of the largest city in vermont for eight years and i can tell you it takes money to rebuild the infrastructure. if someone can do it without money we would love to hear that suggestion. from what i understand it's a pretty expensive project. we have to figure out a way to fund it and i look forward with you madam chair to do just that so thank you very much. >> thank you. senator fischer. >> thank you madam chair. i'm way down here. hello. >> on the list of said senator inhofe was here. he was here but he is not here. >> thank you very much and thanks to the ranking member as well. i appreciate folks coming from various states to help us and providing us with information on the many needs that we face

across this country. as our committee works to reauthorize the highway bill i have been especially focused on the needs of nebraska's department of roads and that of our cities and counties. these are the folks that are putting our federal dollars to work back home. the overwhelming message that i have heard from these important stakeholders is that the federal process required for building roads is overly burdensome and it needs to be more flexible. we have worked hard in nebraska to prioritize funding for infrastructure needs. as we started to put the spending to use we have further seen the need to provide state and local governments with much assistance and autonomy as possible. states will have greater ability to experiment and address transportation problems with innovative solutions if they are allowed greater flexibility in the use of those federal dollars.

transportation infrastructure is an expensive venture on its own without the federal government adding to the cost. if we cannot give our local and state governments inadequate level of funding we should at the very least get out of their way so their projects can be completed in an efficient and cost-effective manner. we need to work together to pursue a path forward that continues to ensure the use of federal dollars devoted to tasks that truly add value to the projects and are not wasted on piling up paperwork. i hope this highway bill will include the needed policy reforms to streamline the environmental processes and accelerate project delivery. today's hearing is an important step in understanding the flexibility needed for local and state governments and i look forward to working with this committee in achieving those needed slew shins. think you madam chair. >> thanks a much senator. we will now go to senator markey.

>> thank you madam chair. the united states has long been the world's leader and in ingenuity and engineering building america's infrastructure into the best in the world but age has caught up with us. many of our roads and bridges transit and rail are in great need of repair and replacement and the impacts of extreme weather and climate change put aging infrastructure at further risk. more than half of massachusetts 5000 bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. this is an urgent problem that we must address in the next transportation bill. the surface transportation bill we passed in 2012 map-21 included $1.2 billion in federal highway funds from massachusetts to modernize our highways and bridges. under the law the the of the commonwealth will also receive

almost 700 million in transit funding and that is a good start but not enough to deal with the magnitude of the problem. as strong bill will provide the funding and certainty that our state and local governments need to get our roads and transit systems back in excellent condition. our priorities beyond traditional road repair and improvement funds in massachusetts include one, improve her aging bridges and build upon the success of the accelerated rate program in massachusetts that recently fixed over 100 bridges on time and on budget. two invest in transit and promote key projects including the green line extension. three, providing funding for streetscape and important parts of the alternative program that helps revitalize downtowns to attract business to city centers and four encourage commuter rail by building on the recent

success of increasing the numbers of trains serving worcester and making the south coast rail a reality to bring transportation to the south shore. it puts construction workers on the clock in good-paying jobs. it creates infrastructure necessary to efficiently move goods and people around our ever-changing and expanding economy. i know that when we rebuild our of the structure we rebuild our economy so as we quickly up roach map-21's expiration this fall we must keep in mind that most effective way we can create jobs and improve our infrastructures to pass a robust long-term surface transportation bill. thank you madam chair. >> senator thank you. senator booker followed by senator cardin. senator booker. >> thank you chairman boxer and ranking member vitter. i do know what the parish is because my granddaddy is from louisiana but all the folks here

to hear your important testimony and in what is a critically urgent issue in the united states of america. or for structure simply crumbling. as new jersey's most densely populated state in the country new jersey is also among the heavily trafficked roads and extensive public transportation systems. we are critical transportation superstructure in new jersey. unfortunately new jersey is home to 624 structurally deficient bridges as of 2013 meaning that bridges are in deteriorating conditions and urgently need to be repaired. it's unacceptable. across the united states a staggerinstaggerin g 65,000 bridges are classified as structurally deficient and 65,000 bridges in our country are structurally deficient posing safety threats to our

communities across the country. another 1700 new jersey bridges did not meet current standards with regards to lane size efficient shoulder lanes and are described as the department of transportation is functionally obsolete. an astounding 66% of new jersey's roads are poor or booker condition. this cost new jerseyans over $3 billion a year in extra vehicle repaired and operating costs meeting new jerseyans payout of pocket because of these deficiencies another 600-dollar per motorist. states across our the country are struggling with similar infrastructure issues. this enormous challenge demands that we as a nation invest more in our transportation infrastructure. it is a multiplier in terms of the opportunity it creates for our country. not only will a major investment improve safety and help businesses but will also create jobs and strengthen our entire economy. according to reports by a group

of former new jersey government executives new jersey needs at minimum $21.3 billion to invest in short-term transportation infrastructure needs through 2018. the americans society of civil engineers estimates to fix our bridges and united states alone needs an additional $8 billion at annually to keep us at the cutting-edge where we need to be to protect safety and security and promote business growth. while these investment secure roads and bridges every dollar is vital because also that multiplier effect of job creation. as we improve our infrastructure businesses can move goods quicker and cheaper. businesses can export more and reach more customers overseas. this is a critical economic competitiveness issue and all of this also attracts investment further into our country invest money in infrastructure creates investment in america.

and a rapidly changing 21st century america we must prioritize innovative cost-effective sustainable traffic options. map-21 provides funding not just for transportation projects but also it's important to know for certain projects that reduce transportation related air pollution. this to me is critical. in my home city of newark where i was mayor we have seen congestion and heavy air pollution negatively impact vulnerable communities. for instance the port of newark one of her country's most busy ports provides a major national economic benefit but the community surrounding the areas are disproportionately affected by the air pollution caused by the concentration of heavy truck traffic cargo vessels and cargo handling equipment. high asthma rates and other health problems afflict the surrounding communities. the congestion mitigation and air quality program provides states with the funding to address this problem but it does

not go far enough. we need to invest substantially more resources in retrofitting trucks and locomotives in the use of newer more environmentally friendly vehicles and relying more on the movement of freight by rail and make in those rail investments. for the safety for motorists to the error children breathe to the strength of our economy transportation has a strong impact on the lives of all americans. it is essential for our country to continue to be a global leader. it's absolutely critical congress pass a conference of transportation bill and i look forward to working with all my colleagues on the committee of war to the testimony especially the closer we get to jersey and delaware which is -- residents anyways is good to have you here. >> senator cardin. >> madam chair thank you very much or having this hearing and to senator boxer and senator fetter thank you for the manner in which you conduct this committee on infrastructure

advancements. map-21 was passed because of your extraordinary leadership not only getting it through the united states senate but negotiating with the house so we could maintain the integrity of legislation so we are very proud of our leadership on this committee and i particularly want to thank you for today's panel. i look forward to the record being established by our local officials as to the importance of local input in determining priorities for transportation in our nation. to me this is extremely important. i take great pride in the transportation alternative program which is included in map-21 and working with senator cochran we were able to get that program integrity maintained. madam chairman to tell you 1% of total funds it took a lot more than 1% of the total to get that done but i appreciate your commitment to that issue and i hope that we will not rehash some of the arguments from the

past. but looking forward on how we can build the program to make it even more effective as we move forward. of course it comes from the transportation enhancement previous generations of our surface transportation but i think the transportation alternative program is working well in a thank you very much for your help. mayor i particularly appreciate you being here from indianapolis. it's not in maryland. i very much appreciate your use of the transportation alternative program to really get livable space in indianapolis. the way you have used that to help deal with the historic trail, the greenways space, to me this is exactly what we intended when this legislation was passed and i thank you for being here to tell your story and tell the story of cities all

over the country whether smaller cities or larger cities. mayor cornyn in oklahoma city you used this money for transit and for other alternatives and it's good to see that the local input is being done the way that we anticipated it being done. this is a partnership and the federal and state government and these transportation alternative programs to me are critically important. in my city of oldsmar i was able to get federal transportation funds through the surface transportation reauthorization to complete glens falls trail. for those who are familiar with baltimore baltimore was designed by olmsted. he designed the communities connected by greenways. as we became more urban and as time went forward that green space was built over. the glens falls watershed was one of those trails that have been built over. we have reclaimed the falls nl 30 communities are connected

where people can walk and get to know each other. these were communities that were in many cases trapped because of the economic of the circumstances. ..

>> i come from my home state. >> that would be one of the final four. >> may be. maybe so. i'm happy to see all of you. thank you for pulling together this good group and we look forward to hearing from you. i will be very brief to help draft the last transportation bill and i'm so happy to have a chance to work with all the senators, senator boxer and senator john brasso. hopefully we come up with a five or six year bill. so that we have a chance to help out a little bit on that front as well. we are really pleased, madam

chair with the state and local folks. >> state and local governments are stepping up on transportation and that remains the case to be seen today.

and so we are finding officials making some of the transportation infrastructure. when local officials asked the voters for more money, he or she is going to be focused like a laser on this and what that means is that it isn't that they are investing in these products. you are investing in a shorter commute with less conduction and we have the cities are making information projects.

we need to be of the states when making those decisions to help this congestion and improve the quality of life. and we need to do our part right here by passing a long-term building continues to deliver and with that, i look forward to your testimony. so thank you. >> i'm so happy that he came here because he and the senator are part of this right in the first draft of the spell. >> thank you very much, madam chairman. i'm sad for the delay. i was at our energy meeting. i want to thank senator vitter for holding this.

he has been a commissioner since 2007, a friend of 30 years, he has a great understanding of the importance of transportation at the county level we have oil, gas, uranium, and continues to produce coal. if we don't have the local road infrastructure to support heavy equipment traffic, these resources will never get to market. he will testify today about where roads bring oil and gas and cattle to markets in america and around the world. and folks will hear about it in

these key economic and tourist routes are a mix of paved and gravel roads. the ability to maintain these routes are central to the economy and to other western states. i believe that we need to keep the highway program simple and flexible building roads and bridges and highways. we have numerous agencies and this adds uncertainty and increased delays and increased costs to states and the taxpayer. we have a strong partnership and

i know that jim can provide the committee with its unique perspective thank you, senator for holding this hearing. >> i think it is a wonderful thing to have you and sandra phishing or because of your experience. your unique experience. >> thank you, madam chairwoman. those who do the real groundwork are critical to this process. like you, i represent the most diverse state in the nation and our transportation needs are varied and complex. we have dense urban centers

where transit funding and congestion relief. and to keep our counts connected to the economy if and that's one of the most effective ways to of the most effective ways to create jobs in so we can maintain and improve our transportation infrastructure for people to get it done and this allows for innovative financing of national significance. europe has more than 17,000 and 11500 public road miles.

in the officials tell me that they have to do more with less and have to make very interesting choices on whether they can afford to repair a stretch of highway. they owe 45% of the state federal highway miles and 51% of our bridges. and this means that real assistance is all the more critical to ensure the maintenance of a safe and efficient highway and bridge the them in my state and believe some of the pressures one of the major priorities is that they adequately fund the new york ferry system making it the

largest passenger ferry system in the united states. at the critical link for them every day. from staten island to manhattan. particularly to protect our most honorable pedestrians, children and seniors.

and we also have to focus to make sure that our communities do everything to improve safety. i hope that we can draft this authorization bill and i'm very grateful for this hearing and look forward to all of your testimony. after the expiration and safety it took 10 short-term extension and that presents very serious challenges and i hope that we can get some progress today on analyzing and getting some

creative thinking as to how to resolve that issue. >> one is coming and has very diverse signatures from all over the country. and it is started by 31 chambers of congress and i think it is important to give us a sense of who signed this. and these are local chambers of commerce.

and calida, iowa, kentucky, lou, california. massachusetts, missouri, montana, nebraska, new jersey and new mexico and new york and north carolina, north dakota, oklahoma. in south carolina and tennessee as well as virginia and washington state. i've been on this committee since i've gotten here and i've been here a long time. this is unprecedented and it isn't about red and blue. and i'm just really grateful to this panel and my colleagues on the committee for showing your interests today.

>> thank you, ranking members of the committee. i have actually talked about experience with all of this and most my career was spent researching the straits we have states very well represented by the secretary. we discussed the very issues that we have talked about. so these issues affect all the states around the country. now the owner of testifying before you on behalf of the 52 state departments and i'm here

to speak on my half of the state and to provide you with a more specific impact and the written testimony provides a detailed picture of the current transportation funding crisis that summarizes the four brief points. it's all highway projects and we

have been forced to conserve our limited resources and it is not just a local issue. we have a movement of people and goods in the northeast as well as nationally. and the total highway program is $240 million annually each year coming from the highway trust fund. when she addresses this officially, she has high cost products that far exceeded our

annual apportionment through the use of the financing and a greater use of the advanced construction and it has required them to delay the advertising with all highway projects including the ongoing construction work more than 60% r-rated fare or with poor.

without additional funding, the lateral increase will increase to 40% in less than 10 years. and it will remain in a position of managing its the crimes of its infrastructure. and they begin to address the funding needs and they provided additional funds to improve this transportation system in their is the health of rhode island transportation system, which is not just a local issue. between new york and boston and part of the national network throughout the country. and they had a situation in the region that we could not afford. it hinders the average to prove the economic conditions and i

look forward to your questions. and that's pretty good. then we have a lot.

there's no hiding place there. and they are like the ones that end up in your front yard. but i just have a statement and it went down to something like 60 and it could be having a tremendous effect on a road building capability. and we are going to have a big

meeting with the floor. we will start meetings with everyone and get you on board because you used the word crisis and i have to share that. >> thank you, ranking member better. members of the committee, this is an honor for me to be able to speak before you today about the special issues facing small states in the next transportation reauthorization bill. it's also great to hear from you about the issues that we feel so passionately about. the transportation network really is the background of the economy.

it depends upon a 21st century transportation system and it is critical that we find a safe transportation system. and while we have made substantial progress we had bridges that are structurally deficient, functionally obsolete or both although vermont is

small and rule, we also may play a small role in the national network. this is why state dot's just the prospect of it running on cash by this july has already motivated many states and we are all watching you two see what is coming next. i want to make it clear that if the fund is not replenished soon, project delays will be

translations. and it will have an immediate and economic impact in a small state like ours and it can really tip the balance on our fragile economic recovery and we demonstrated to our taxpayers that we are getting resolved for their investment.

we have this imposing on her infrastructure and b@ we have this imposing on her infrastructure and budgets. we don't need to remind you that winter is long this year. in vermont we are out cleaning the 93rd winter weather event. it's an all-time high. and then unfortunately we also got a budget breaker and it increases the degradation and the cost for road maintenance. and across the nation, the weather patterns are changing. natural disasters in weather events are increasing in frequency, severity, and cost. the u.s. has tallied $32 billion ones and damaging over 500 miles

of road, taking out 34 stayed bridges4 stayed bridges and 1200 homes and businesses were damaged and most tragically seven lives were lost. thanks to your help and the federal funding in vermont is not 2.5 years later in a strong recovery and we thank you. i know well the total disaster. i helped to lead our transportation agencies and emergency response and four months later was deployed to become the recovery officer for the state.

transportation departments are finding themselves in unexpected roles as disaster strikes, something that i witnessed in colorado. i've been taught us many lessons and i've seen dramatic infrastructure losses and the risks to human lives and economic security and believe that resilient infrastructure -- i consider research and investment to be included and starting back in the 1950s and

we are witnessing the real migration to the cities and this is between the residential centers and our cities pay so many different transportation needs. we are connecting people to each other and a growing number of people are choosing to live local and eat local and last month we talked about what

people are looking for when they start a business. talent was ranked number one and they all rank up at the top of the list. and i want to thank you for the funding that we have for these types of projects. we used it with local funds to build a variety of trails and greenways such as white river and other trails. we also dedicated a portion of our innovative rebuilding fund of the half a billion dollars to constructing all corners of the city and making it an even more attractive place to raise a family. it is attracting national and worldwide attention for making the infrastructure investments that attract people to the city including that and so many others.

and we have philanthropic dollars and it used to be traffic lanes and parking spaces. and this serves as a worldwide model that has been profiled in "the new york times." one of the american downtown association and it has been the centerpiece and numerous articles listing is a must-see city among all places in the world. it has attracted at least $100 million of investment to the city on that one trail alone. this has demonstrated a bold new thinking for an urban transportation planning. a highway is still critical to moving us through the market. if you want to attract workers to move in your city, you need

biplanes and greenways and so much more. in this country local governments have always been the cradle of innovation and partnership and that is certainly true in the area of urban infrastructure to vomit. america's greatness is rooted to discover new technologies and pushing the boundaries of the unknown. that will not require traveling a great distance but will be a journey to discover the culture and the feud and the music and the people that are just a walk or a bicycle ride for a short bus ride away. our future success in this endeavor requires strong partners and funding and i encourage you to continue our nation's commitment to the alternatives program. and the amendment has been very helpful in this regard. thank you inviting me to speak

with you and i look for any questions you may have. >> thank you so much for that testimony. >> it is mick cornett great. testimony. >> it is mick cornett great. >> okay. mayor, welcome. >> thank you, madam chair. i appreciate the members of the committee and especially senator inhofe, who has done so much to help transportation needs. i am the mayor of oklahoma city and i come here today to testify on behalf of my community. today i would like to emphasize the point. the national transportation system and the transportation opportunities that support our population as a community. it is vital to our ability to grow and sustain the economy to ensure that the united states remains competitive even in the 21st centurtes remains competitive even in the 21st century. secondly, investing in the care and maintenance and expansion of our country's critical and comprehensive network cannot be left to the cities and states alone. the federal government must be a reliable partner and all investment options should be open for consideration to ensure long-term and consistent transportation revenues.

it was an excellent start and it delivered enhanced transportation opportunities through continued consideration of measures focused on expediting project delivery and transit and community initiatives and allowing resources to flow freely to the nation's core infrastructures. oklahoma city's economy is quite robust. we certainly have opportunities that exist but we have not had in other times and we have recently completed a very large infrastructure project in oklahoma city and we have an aging interstate bridge that went through the heart of our downtown area. it was crumbling. there were a lot of safety issues. the bridge has now been removed. the interstate highway has been relocated and we are now looking to work with the fire department who can replace that old existing court order. so we're still working on a project that has now been about 16 or 17 years in the making and is not completed. but as it is completed it certainly is helping central oklahoma grow. i think that that product is part of what we have in our

other agencies. i think that we have a very good relationship with our department of transportation and certainly our federal delegation and the private sector is flourishing partly because of that relationship. we are also aggressively invested in the quality of life control oklahoma and we have a number of community initiatives with state and federal partnerships, rebuilding and improving a lot of our local streets. just recently we were able to put purchased the former santa fe depot. in 2005 we completed a guide study that included a blueprint. in the oklahoma city community. in this new santa fe depot purchase will allow us to create a hub in oklahoma city. we think the communities and states must understand and be able to project the availability of transportation resources if we are going to be able to plan initiatives and design projects to meet the needs of our

citizens. while a reliable investment is critical, and equally important factor is the minimization of federal bureaucracy and regulatory actions. this is especially true when resources are scarce, as we know they are. we simply must do everything possible to squeeze every benefit out of every dollar that is available for infrastructure needs area a national federal regulations and policies should provide a simple framework that allows and empowers the state and local governments to select and deliver solutions and unique needs. in addition the opportunities for federal agencies to interject narrowly focused interpretations of the federal law should be restricted to the extent possible. what we are seeing is that federal agencies are sometimes superseding the congressional intent of the law by commentating guidelines are directors that serves their purpose or needs. many times the agency-based

actions and interpretations represent pure bureaucracy and blur the critical line between regulatory oversight and agency idealism and are most times consuming and difficult for the state to manage. a specific example is the opportunity that oklahoma city has had recently by encouraging general electric to research a new development center. part of the work from the state and local government is to help with this project that really does needs to be redesigned. there is nothing complicated about this. but we have run into the bureaucracy that has impeded our progress and we do not see any recognizable benefits. the city and state and private sector engineers are working on this and they are experts in the field. they understand what is in the best interest of the dns date. and it's difficult to understand how these additional involvements and federal government are adding value to the delivery of the critical and the structure and in concluding as we consider the full

magnitude of the inadequacies of our national transportation system, we must work together to style the project delivery process to be efficient and free from the unnecessary laws and directives and redundant regulations. the federal government must continue to invent and the transportation system and maintain an equitable commitment to the transit and quality of life needed for communities. oklahoma city is at the intersection of three interstate highways that go through our city. i-35, i 40 which stretches across the united states and i 45 which runs directly through the state. traveling is common to oklahoma city. the expansion of our transportation infrastructures is helping to move american made products and markets. well-managed dollars committed directly materialized in our economy and enhance the ability of our businesses and industry to cost effectively move the

goods and provide the services. to date investments are truly represented and more importantly in the future and viability in the safety of our families. thank you, madam chair. >> thank you so much. >> the humor that excellent testimony. >> all right. st. landry parish, louisiana. >> ranking member, members of the committee. it is an honor and a privilege to testify before you today. i am a professional civil engineer and have national pleasure of working for the@ louisiana dot and the last year was serving as a regional district engineer administrator for this region. the region is where mardi gras

is less about grades and kings and queens throwing beads, but more about the common ordinary man d@ more about the common ordinary man dressing up in colorful costumes and masks, riding horses throughout the countryside and chasing down chickens to be included as ingredients to be included as is a delicious gumbo dinner before ash wednesday. i retired in 2011 and now currently serve as the president of the government in south louisiana. pleased and proud to introduce to you jimmy edwards along with our director of operation nations to have a company to meet with you. they are here in the room today. >> reaser hand, gentlemen. >> you promise to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth? [laughter] >> if they want to run home, it they have to. yes. [laughter] >> these councilmen with the majority of others and myself

worked very hard over the first two years of my administration to convince parish voters that local roads would never meet the level of the service that they so wanted and so needed. there existed no dedicated local funds for road improvements ever in the history of the parish and this effort of hard work resulted, i'm happy to work, in the passage is passed october of 82 cents sales tax 15 year referendum for the rule areas only that will be dedicated solely for improving the roads. history was made and voters were finally convinced that we as citizens of the parish needed to learn how to go our own bootstraps in addressing our own issues. i'm here to tell you that the sales tax will go a long way for a long time. but we will continue to meet federal assistance to make the best of meeting the expensive requirements to replace the many bridges that are deficient. therefore i would like to

respect we offer the following priorities for your consideration during the development of the next surface transportation bill. firstly a sleeping continued the federal funding and consider increasing overall funding for bridge replacement and rehabilitation. the nation's counties that we are considered one of, only a significant part of the bridges. all of them represent 76.5% of counties bridge inventory. overall they represent 47% of the national bridge inventory and this is a particular issue to us and we sienna parishes on 33% of our state's public bridges. and secondly we request that requested we work hard to achieve the timely passage of a federal surface transportation bill that provides increased stable and long-term funding so that federal and state and local highway planners can create logical strategies to address

highway needs. the political leadership at all levels supports this as our citizens do not understand or appreciate the lack of it. in our economy and quality of life depends on it. it made all the on this and i hear a lot about it whereby the mitigation ratio at times ranges from three to one to five to one. this exorbitant cost will cause some not to be constructed under this mandate. but we ask that you look at reducing the rim and, if possible, and allowing current wetland areas in advance for credit consideration across the future projects and this is currently not allowed. and relative to what was once called transportation enhancement funding, now known as alternative funding is something that a district administrator is very much promoting in my area.

but i am hearing now than under this program the ability to obligate this funding is becoming complex to the extent that many local governments will be hesitant to spend money and energy and time to apply for such funding that could really benefit our communities. so we asked for increased funding for improvements to minor road connectors are so important to local commerce relative to mobility for jobs and recreation and on boosting the economy and quality of life in a special rule allows states to use up to 50% of the program funds allocated for areas with a population of 5000 or less. we would like to see this expanded to a greater percentage into areas exceeding the population of 5000. and finally as you might expect to support and encourage necessary federal funding to complete this in louisiana and i

wish to acknowledge and thank the national association of counties for that untiring effort and with local governments and congress to create equality highway bill. i think that you get it. thank you so much for allowing me to speak today and for your dedicated service to our good old united states. >> into so much. sir, chairman converse county, wyoming. >> good morning thinking member, and members of the committee. my name is gemini and chairman of the board of commissioners in wyoming and also serve as chairman of the transportation committee at the wyoming county commissioners association. we are representative of many western counties in the united states. we'll population factors combined with our climate and high percentage of federal land ownership within our borders creates unique transportation challenges for counties,

including congress. from a april not county perspective, the continued viability of a federal partner in the road and bridge projects is of the utmost importance. the national association of county officials had pointed out that a whole 45% of the nation's public roads are operated by counties. and in my county alone we would maintain over 620 miles of road. 500 miles of that is gravel road and we also maintain 36 bridges of various sizes. one i think about that transportation system, i think of a fellow commissioner of mine who is a cow rancher and an order for him to deliver his cattle to the national and global marketplace, he first looked them up on a semi truck and travel 6 miles on a gravel county road. he travels 5 miles on a paved county road. 3 miles on the wyoming state highway and 68 miles on interstate 25. 49 miles on the u.s. hi-49 miled finally to a local city street

where he delivers his cattle to the marketplace. in northern part of the county millions of dollars of oil and gas production takes to reach the market or refineries or similar routes that tourists take to reach the national force to go camping. if a week link exists at any part of that system, the renter's ability to put a stake on our plate and the oil and gas industry to fuel our cars and heat our homes or the outdoor adventure for the tourist is staggering. we invest a great deal to make sure that our portion of the roads are in good shape and we have an excellent partner in the state of wyoming. however, the ability to fund road and bridge projects is heavily dependent upon the continuation of a long-term federal highway program. in turn the continued viability of the trust fund. as you look at federal programs, the success or failure of any program can be reasonably

predicted on one question. does the program provide enough flexibility at the local level. if the answer is yes, the program can be successful. the map did provide some flexibility and that is helpful. and i respectfully actually give further consideration to provide even more flexibility and fewer rules so that local governments are not unduly burden and so that road and bridge safety products can need promptly and efficiently. this is particularly true in rural areas where we find ourselves forcing the round peg into the largeness of square federal rules. as an example of this delay it took us 10 months to determine if they did have the right away that had been in existence since 1892. after that the lay would still be imposed by some related environmental reviews.

and at best those reviews were will require several weeks of analysis much longer if they are complicated factors. and seasonal surface disturbance for new constructionurbance for new construction over virgin territory may make sense. but if a county is planning to work on road that has existed since statehood, i don't think we need to jump through those hoops designed for this new construction. the harsh climate and short construction season means that we must plan for even the smallest products and advanced. unnecessary delays as well as imposed by the corps of engineers and other federal requirements that can push important safety products offer an entire year or more. i urge a careful look at how the environmental review and permitting the process can be further streamlined so that road and bridge safety products can

be completed in a timely manner and we spend more dollars on concrete and pavement and less on paper. i leave you with this final thought. we talk a lot about the information highway and how we can sit at home on our couch and orderable socks are great screen tv. but if we fail to invest wisely in our highways with gravel and concrete and payment and bridges, the sheep's wool and the rare earth minerals will never reach the manufacturer and never be able to be delivered to the consumer. so i thank you for this opportunity to testify today and i look forward to your questions. >> thank you so much. last but not least, we thank you. >> good morning. i would like to thank the chairman and the senator from delaware and members of the community to speak about the

reauthorization. the region is different and that we spin two states in two counties and sore area of influence is different. we are very happy as the school programs were carried forward and they are very important tools that we use and we have used those funds to implement projects that have been recommended by community planning studies that were carried out. the circulation study being one of those. a lower income minority neighborhood that the focus of our environmental justice report. they recommended that the intersection improvements being implemented with funding of the capital program so we use those funds to implement those products in a much more timely fashion. very helpful for us in delivering these projects to the

communities. and as was noted, demographics are changing in the u.s. and we are seeing baby boomers and the lineal finding common ground. we see your we wrote in the county transportation system. valenti also no longer married to their cars. in fact, they give those up before their cherished cell phones. i have two millennialist. neither one has ever owned a car. that has been a challenge area i live in a suburban area in castle county, but we made it work. and so that the workforce is gravitating towards different locations and they are like cities and towns. and they are looking for similar lifestyle changes.

as we have to make the best investments with our transportation funding because they leave our region and they will go somewhere where they can get those choices. so our region is on and what the scoreboard and we support the mission and we coordinate with them with local projects like this that is being built in new work. and more often we work with the transit corporation and unfortunately the use of the state's capital and operating firms are separated by the state lines birds of a mile gap in commuter service between the train station and maryland and the other separate trains is a constant reminder that this is a regional concern. in other areas of need, we have freight movements by rail that are coming into greater focus by region of level. in all regions we need to plan for more of capacity as they transfer this to refineries on the east coast in delaware city.

in the process of completing this connector free benefits study, we found that there are some changes that need to be in place. when consumed is that while the project is important to both maryland and delaware, delaware's capital funding cannot be used in maryland, which shows that the ability to plan regionally is great, but if you can't find regionally, it's more difficult to on the project. and another one is in the state and federal government is running empty and dominated by a suburban development. wow, that study has been part of the investment study which is a local study in which transportation agencies and elected officials work together to create multi-plans for this

was a coordinated plan and the projects are ranked in this way that they can be implemented. in the process is an ideal place for this kind of project collaboration. in closing, we asked that the new bill build on the successes to continue and strengthen the focus on collaboration and coordination. that is a hallmark of the process. this type of planning requires times to build relationships and trust with the public and we asked her consideration to extend that beyond this timeframe to stabilize the funding sources and provide program guidance and we are

concerned that when the project was combined through smaller funding it provides program and leadership it will be necessary to meet the changing needs of our residents. >> thank you all. i found this to be very helpful and it's interesting to hear from the parish and states in all of these perspectives. i honestly think that each of you has put on the table issues that we can work on together. with some of you, it was very

interesting. because as i look at each of you, some of you have said that we need attention to our bridges. this is a danger. some of the stress that the alternative transportation is working and we want to see that continue. others said resiliency given the weather. others said give us the funds but essentially bought out. and i have heard that. [laughter] and that is easy for you to say because if you guys messed up, and we are the ones who get the blame. so there has to be some why regardless of all your priorities, can i assume that all of you agree that we must make sure that this trust fund

is open and that it is reauthorizing a multi-year basis. does anyone disagree with that remark i think that's important and we have to have senator carper now taking over as the chairman with the ranking member because he does have a link to the finance committee and that is going to be essential. and i think you said how you felt and you felt that the amendment was working while and

because of how this goes down, i think that is very important sometimes. depending on what state you're in and we want to do a good job and we think you need to continue to attract the talent i was talking about. and i think that that is still end a trend important. and and the state takes 10% off the top.

and we will expand more about this general electric. and citing their new location we were going to reconstruct and offering above i to 35 and we were advised >> even the people of the department of transportation did not deem this a straightforward improvement. simply enhancing the traffic flow and i don't like the fact

that it sounds like it's been held up and i believe that the tightness of the curb was a little bit tighter for safety precautions. >> okay. they want to ease the angle. question, and it is federal highway money, and somebody careens off, it becomes a federal problem. we need to make sure you get the answers in a quicker way. i do not think we should step away, but this could be a difference in the way we view it. i feel responsible.

it is a federal highway. it should be safe. we have situations in california duee the state did not do diligence on a new bridge, and we were scared about what could happen. safety -- is to would love to help you. if there are legitimate problems, believe me, i would love to help you with that. what i found in most of these cases, including your point about, it took three weeks -- it may, end of the day, mean you have a better plan. been, let uslways have timetables that make sense. i took a lot of heat from my environmental friends, because i want timetables. i do not think you should walk away, if it is a safety question and an environmental issue. something we will work

on in our reauthorization. it is always tense, between republicans and democrats. how do you keep the federal interest, but not make it as , thecult and unnecessary delays? that is what we continue to work on as we reauthorized. >> you mentioned bridges. there are a lot of bridges in need of repair and replacement in st. landry parish in louisiana. would it be helpful to be able to bundle some of the smaller project,ogether as one to create more efficiency, reducing red tape, to use common tapgns, and to be able to the larger match that larger problems can enjoy?

>> absolutely. i have read what they have done in pennsylvania. we look at our position with other past presidents, but this is a regional issue. it is not a parochial issue. we would bundle with other parishes and the state. and yes, partnering and bundling -- absolutely. we get better bang for our buck. we get to clear more bridges than just one or two. i think it would advance the process and the project delivery with a great deal more efficiency and a great deal more appreciation from the public. they are very smart and aware that it is taking a very long go from the idea that a bridge is necessary to be replaced -- it is on a list. it takes three years to get there. that would be a great idea, yes. >> great. we will pursue that. your sales tax and

a smooth ride home program. can you talk about that process, and the level of trust you developed to pass that, and what lessons that offers to us? >> first of all, for such a long time, on the local level, at least for probably our state, and particularly our parish, we were always looking to the federal government and state government to solve our issues. basically, i worked in the state government 38 years. worked with many parishes. i looked at things statewide. talking to the leaderships in the parishes -- i saw other parishes start doing for themselves, rather than waiting on the state and federal government. government, i the felt i was a bureaucrat, but with an outsider point of view. i reached a practical point of view i think most of us should have. day, wait on this

the federal and state governments to be the salt-all, -- the solve-all, end-all. byneed to do things ourselves. people in the paris said, you are the highway guy. you can help us here. we had 800 miles in terrible shape. i took on the challenge. i went out with these canceled en and brought an sheet of paper and hundreds of copies. we had 35-40 public outreach meetings, where we sat with three people, 300 people, citizens. we advertised it. it is for the future of our parish. i bring you the paper of truth. here is the budget. there is no money in it on the

local budget for roads. whether you are first or last on the list to be improved, it does not matter. it will not happen unless we pass our own tax, fund it ourselves. for the most part, our citizens were for sales tax rather than property tax. we brought out the paper of truth and took it in the discussion. and maybe the key was complete dedication. just this area of activity, but these projects. bridges, ands and related drainage. we also brought the actual legislation that they would vote on to create a law, and not depend on a promise. many times, we heard in the past that issues had failed because let us say they brought it through legislation. the casinos were supposed to solve all, and they had never

seen the legislation. we brought it to them. it has nothing in there about being dedicated to highways. we brought them the paper of truth and said, if you vote on 2000, wehe summer of will be paving roads, and we plan on doing that. 60% of the voters passed it. first time in the history of the parish. could i say one thing about the alternate financing? when i was a district administrator, i felt that when local folks came -- we knew we needed hundreds of millions of dollars of highway improvements. local roads. even the most unreasonable person knows that takes a long time. when you have funding offered to repair sidewalks and bicycle paths, it should not take a long time. i am not saying you should have

the legislation in place and then get out of the way. what i believe i am correct in this. you should not have to jump through all of the hoops for funding, compared to four 100 millions -- $100 million. maybe we could have a level or a limit. if you reach $100 million or less, you could have less bureaucracy for it. we could do that under the same rules and laws. you guys could audit it. if we do not do it right, take that from us. but maybe have a limit on the funding, where we could set a tier where under a certain level, we could do some of the work ourselves, in coordination with you guys. >> we will look at that. $100 million is a lot of millions. >> i am talking about the alternative. >> i got your point, and i think it is well taken.

>> my understanding is, we have heard from all of you. i think we are in agreement that our infrastructure is crumbling. we need more federal assistance. we knew that long-term. -- we need that long-term. rural towns are different from big cities. we need flexibility. this committee does not really deal with the financing. to make your life a little miserable, let me ask you a question. at a time when many of our at a time struggling, in vermont people travel long distances to work -- i am sure that is true in many rural states. we are struggling with, how do you fund the highway trust fund? , why don't you give us some ideas? as senators, we are going to

have to deal with it. what do you think? >> what do we implement? maybe a mild travel fee based on distance of travel? there are pros and cons of that. we are starting to work through some of the issues. oregon has done some pilot work. other states are becoming more interested. >> you see that as an option? >> it is not going to happen overnight. >> i would agree with my colleague. year, know, we did, last increase our gas tax and diesel taxes to make up for the difference. and the decline in the vehicle miles traveled. emissions,ing

improving vehicle emissions standards, has meant that relying on that for transportation is simply not sustainable. if we want to have a user fee approach, that is why we are looking to vehicle miles traveled. electric vehicles, while they save, are not going to be able to pay into that system. >> i would be remiss if i told you that i understand all of your funding mechanisms and all of the things that are available. >> it is pretty much gas tax. >> i understand. inwere pretty creative indianapolis when we did our rebuilding. --hink eventually, the dmt vmt is something we'll have to look at. that was probably something to be looked at. >> i think whatever taxation system is used, it needs to be tied to miles driven.

recommend we spend more on r&d, so we can start reducing the cost of the project themselves. i am still waiting for some big technology advancement in construction materials or design that can somehow reduce the cost of these, so we do not need to raise so much money. wants itnly, everybody and nobody wants to pay for it. i will tell you, i think we have to offer up the papers of truth and tell them what it will cost if we use vmt and what it will cost if it is a gas tax. bere is no doubt it needs to increased. funding needs to be increased. no doubt, above my pay grade to figure out the financial mechanisms. whatever mechanism you look at has to have the realization that new york city and wyoming have different needs and purposes.

the more we spend on concrete and pavement and the less we spend on paper, that is where the taxpayer benefits. i go back to my flexibility question, whatever the funding is. chris there is not much left that everybody has not already said. we agreed vehicle miles traveled is another way to look at it, with the hybrids and better fuel efficiency. individual states need to be able to raise gas tax and index them to increases. we have already seen that in maryland and pennsylvania. delaware is on the precipice of trying to do so. is, talkt question about investment in infrastructure, jobs, and the -- economy.top if we had a creative relationship, does anyone doubt that would be a significant job creator, rebuilding the infrastructure, and the long-term impacts of a strong infrastructure helping job growth?

>> it is absolutely a direct tie. there is no question about that. that with the american reinvestment and recovery act. into dollars went right infrastructure, local communities, and paychecks. i think a $100 million investment in rhode island equates to 1300 job years of employees. big projects, small projects -- what investment in infrastructure has done to the local economy. but to the boston area, a controversial project and want in has done for the economy of massachusetts. >> not only jobs created by the project, but the ability to bring in investment. improved infrastructure. nobody has any doubts. >> we need to get going. with the smaller projects, let us get some of that done. if we screw it up, take it away from us. >> anyone who would convince the

public they have a paper of truth is someone i will listen to. senator fisher? >> thank you all for being here today. when i listen to the nebraska department of roads, there is a lot of frustration at the limited federal dollars we have being used on requirements, on a lot of april work. they really do not affect the social or environmental or historical aspects of these projects. many of you have mentioned that. and your frustration with that as well. chairman willis, in your testimony, you say that counties will send environmental review forms to state agencies, lengthening the time it takes to receive approval. do you have any estimate on the costs that will add to projects in your county?

cannot give you specifics, because it varies so much. i can give you paper examples. road in --oving a putting a culvert into a robe that -- road that has existed. the application was 82 pages, 960 squareto curb feet of dirt. it is a road that existed long before the regulations were created, but we are jumping through that hoop. only, toounty in my just add guard rails or to put center yellow line striping on the road, they had to submit paperwork. if you are going to paint yellow it should the road, be instantaneous. it should be quick.

>> does this committee need to look at how we address the categorical exclusions on projects? i think that is what you are talking about on these, and the amount of paperwork, and the back-and-forth with the different agencies and the bureaucracy involved. i see a lot of nodding. >> categorical exclusion is a step in the right direction. there is still a process. there is not money on concrete and bridges. i want -- i get stopped in the grocery to say, get this bridgestone. they want action on the ground. >> in your testimony, you talk about those stumbling blocks.

and the burdens they place on the project delivery. think are some of the biggest obstacles you are faced with, the different federal rules and regulations? 35 one example is the i-2 project. we were trying to address traffic flow to the general electric facility that is getting ready to be built. assume -- we were informed by the federal highway association we would need the report. we are now 120 days beyond where we think the project should be. project.ery simple we are just trying to enhance the safety and the traffic flow. it seems like there is unnecessary paperwork and bureaucracy. >> director louis, with the state department of transportation and rhode island, how would you characterize -- i

do not mean to put you on the spot, but i am going to. how would you characterize your department's relationship to hear federal partners? are there any areas that you can point to for improvement? have a very good relationship with our federal partners in rhode island. the real key to success is when we are all working together with a common goal. the successes you will see across the country are rooted in that. county,, the state, the and the feds are all still working together. we are going to get a successful and quick turnaround. >> d.c. quick turnarounds? delays?ee may be some >> on the whole, we have a good relationship and are very responsive to the federal highway administration.

>> it is frustrating to sit back and watch the delays as construction costs increase. they are increasing by double digits, percentagewise, in many cases. thank you for everything you have done. same point -- we learned a lot of lessons during the disaster. of them is about everyone working together. i would say our relationship is strong. we are looking at innovations in how we permit projects. the sweet spot is not to reduce the standards, but to improve the process to get there. it is amazing what can happen in a crisis. when we had regulatory agencies with us on site, we were able to move expeditiously and meet the standards. >> that is a great suggestion. ,hen we see disasters happen this is a time when we come

together, when we are able to get these projects done. the regulations are not as straight as they are in a normal process. we need to look at what is required during a construction period. if they can be waived in an emergency, why not in a normal, everyday process of trying to build our infrastructure and reate jobs in this country? >> after work -- after earthquakes, we never waived quality. when you spoke about the yellow lines -- there are categorical exclusions. there are certain rules that -- you want to make sure the paint

is the right quality. you want to make sure the people who work on it are treated fairly. there is an argument about this. i do not speak for everybody. thaty view has always been when we are responsible for the money, you have to have some standards. i despise wasted time. it is wasted money. we definitely move forward on speeding things up. we actually went to a point that the federal workers and bureaucracy who were responsible for holding things up would really feel a pinch in their budget. we really did a lot. it is a question we all have to decide for ourselves. i know that if i were saying, move forward, go ahead, but do

not meet the safety requirements, i would not feel good about it. when we did really move together -- ie governor at the time was in federal office. she is right. we were all together in saying, we have got to rebuild. , waivedever, ever said the safety standard. is, if we can do this in an emergency, she is right. be able to do it every single day, unless there is some unexpected issue. that goes for all of your projects. we should be able to get you timely responses and move forward with a plan that works. >> madam chair, thank you very much. i appreciate the exchange you had, and the comments that were expressed.

mayor, i thought you made a very good point in your testimony about the fact that the interstate program recognize the that americans want to travel out to suburbia. our transportation infrastructure should accommodate the needs of our nation. the reverse is true. people are coming back into our urban centers. and that is wonderful. smart growth was a major initiative in maryland under governor glendenning. people recognize we have to do a better job of accommodating what people want today, and that is to live in our urban centers. therefore, our transportation programs need to be sensitive to that. that is what senator cochran and i have tried to do, with senator boxer's help. we marvel at the way you have

given us concrete examples of how that has worked in practice. we have talked about livable communities. it is also a matter of using these funds for safety issues, to deal with realities of a dangerous situation in your community, saving lives and helping people. i really wanted to underscore that point about how we need to system,e the highway the transportation system, surface transportation, accommodates local input. i served 20 years in the state legislature, and i know the relationship in my state between the counties and municipalities is a good relationship. tested when it is it comes to the use of transportation funds. the main decision-maker, which is the state -- that is how the system is set up. the state has the largest single say in how the transportation

funds are allocated, including the federal transportation partnerships. get views, ifo you care to share them with us, as to how it is working, and the relationship you have between andstate and the locals, whether the transportation programs need further adjustment with how it isd working between the state and localities. >> senator, thanks for those comments. i am one of three mayors on the national freight advisory committee, devising the national freight strategic plan. very honored to do that for the secretary of transportation. mayor, and i a have to advocate for cities not only in my state, but across the nation. thatthink it is important

-- indiana is a little bit of a different state. very rural. a large region. several medium-size cities. a lot of money that goes to the state necessarily goes to highways. basis, wentage probably do not get our fair share of the highway funding that comes in. not even close. i would like to see that adjusted a little bit, but not to the detriment of the state. i think cities do a good job of investing. the rebuilding fund of half $1 billion out there has been instrumental in putting people to work. but the money you are talking about, transportation alternative money, has spurred investment that is unbelievable in indianapolis. just yesterday, cummins engines announced they are moving downtown to be next to the cultural trail. a fortune 500 company, 400 jobs.

we are building around this and other trails, because this money has come to us directly, either or to the cities. >> the transportation alternative or graham -- there are those who say you do not need it, because states could do this anyway. they could allocate the funds. we do not find that happens. it is such a challenge to be able to fund all the priorities they have at the state level that there is virtually nothing left over for these types of project, if we did not have this specific program. >> and we take pride in being the capital city and throwing off money to the rest of the state. we do not get everything back from the state tax revenue that we contribute to. we have to donate some of that. as a state, we are proud to do that. that is fine. but if you do not invest directly in the city, we cannot continue that growth in our tax base. that is what we are worried about. we are always worried about increase in the property tax

base in the city. the money you are talking about has been absolutely critical to the growth of our city. consequence, to the growth of our state. talkknow there was a ted about how a town lost a million pounds. there is another additional benefit to some of these local initiatives. >> we always want people to be more pedestrian friendly and health-conscious. that is right. >> we always have a battle over the alternative transportation section. republican mayors were so eloquent on the point, and it means a lot to us. bill -- we need

to make sure it is a fair bill. we are happy you came back. the floor is yours. >> going over your testimony again, i have pulled out the specific line, beyond the federal need for financial resources. the success or failure of federal highway programs in wyoming can be reasonably predicted based on one question. does the program provide enough flexibility at the local level to meet the unique needs of wyoming's climate, terrain, and rural nature? there are very similar concerns. governmentny federal program, there are always strings attached, in terms of federal money, when state and local governments decide to accept federal funding. not, then than programs offer a one-size-fits-all approach. you gave an example. it will end up costing a million dollars because the county has

engineering, bidding, and construction requirements that push the price tagged 10 times higher. can you share other examples perhaps of local projects, where local and state flexibility outweighed the benefits of the federal funding? are there others? >> the challenge is, what hoops do have to jump through? do you have the time, the money? what is the end result? we want to spend those dollars wisely. we can participate in the program and build the bridge. but why waste hundreds of thousands of dollars for a bridge that is not necessary? acently, we had to replace river bridge. because of the standards, a traffic.had we did not need a two-lane bridge.

but standards would have required a more robust bridge than what is necessary. or has been more flexibility going the right direction. but we decided to fund entirely local funds that probably would have been a $2 million bridge if we have participated in the program. the county would have spent less money. we would have spent less. but it was not a wise investment of tax dollars. >> you look at converse county and increased energy production. the county is essentially experiencing a boom in oil and gas. uranium production as well. there is an increase in manpower and equipment, putting stress on the highway system at the local and county level. share herke you to converse county is dealing with increased energy production on the roads and bridges. >> that is significant. these are heavy vehicles. we have traditionally rural roads that are having energy

production. we are getting heavy vehicles out there. we have done several public-private partnerships. we have worked with energy companies. not the traditional ones. we will let you work on our roads. they have done that. we have also had to deal with planning. revenues always trail the impact. plan, we long-term cannot get ahead of the curve. we have worked hard to do patching, where necessary, and then have a long-term plan behind that. sometimes, you are spending double dollars. we have tried to look as far forward as we can, without the assurance of the long-term federal bill. we do not know where we fit in the picture? >> we have a short construction period in wyoming. unlike many warm season states, we do not have the opportunity for year-round construction. what can this committee do to

improve the highway bill to optimize federal highway spending? originals back to my statement about flexibility. let the government at the lowest level make those decisions. if you cannot get to the place until april 1 to do your engineering study, and you have six weeks of review through any part of the environmental process, by the time you have awarded the bid and starting construction, you could be september 1, because you could not start the process. it is key to note that all of these federal programs, we have skin in the game. they are generally matched programs. when you talk about stewardship's of dollars, i think it is important that we have skin in the game and are held accountable at that level, just as you are at this level. i want to make sure all tax dollars are spent wisely, whether they are locally generated or funneled through the federal and state system. >> thank you for your testimony.

>> i really am fascinated with the one lane bridge. seriously. think i have been on a one lane bridge. i guess i need to ask you a question. what if more population comes to the area? don't you think it would make some sense to build a two-lane bridge? maybe the federal government feels that way, before they invest money in it? it could be obsolete. it is such a gorgeous state. these bridges last forever. do you think it is that unreasonable? talk to me. tell me the truth. give me a truth paper. >> visit these wonderful 19 bridges. >> i could hurt you politically. lord knows what it would do to me. but i will consider it,

notwithstanding. >> would you do a low-key tour, under the radar. -- to somee you some coal mines. it would be terrific. >> i cannot wait. i could pick up my asthma. i am teasing. asked the same question, because it is legitimate. we know, locally, what the potential is. with is 25 vehicles a day, the highest traffic the bridge has ever seen. and it is local traffic. >> do they all go in one direction at the same time? >> in rural wyoming, you stop all the time for vehicles coming toward you. that is the culture. a spend the money for two-lane bridge would have been viewed, at our level, as a waste of money. it was an old wooden bridge. it earned down. we replaced it. it has the weight capacity.

it is 300 feet. i can tell if there is a truck on the other side. we knew there was no -- in the next 20-30 years, with alternate routes, there was no need to spend those extra dollars. >> fascinating hearing this. we thank you all for the perspectives you bring to us. thank you for joining us. map 21, wesed included a number of reforms to transportation to focus on things like safety, state of good repair, air quality. unfortunately, we did not make much progress on the issue of freight and good movement, as we might have hoped. we have a lot of freight that comes in and out of corridors.