DOT looks to new funding approaches for infrastructure

DOT looks to new funding approaches for infrastructure    States will pick up more responsibility for highway building in the future, while federal government oversight will consist of developing technology standards and ensuring that surface transport projects adequately connect to regional and national transport networks, said acting Federal Highway Administrator Richard Capka Monday at the annual conference of the Transportation Research Board in Washington.
   During a round-table discussion about the future of transportation regulation with nearly a dozen Department of Transportation agency heads, Capka said the Federal Highway Administration will focus more on better use of technology to maximize the capacity of existing highways and intermodal connections, rather than simply building more infrastructure to manage congestion.
   The Bush administration is pushing the concept that highways should be treated as public utilities that are paid for by direct user fees. Among the proposed solutions are dedicated truck lanes and high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes.
   Earlier this month, the DOT issued six states grants for a pilot project to evaluate the congestion mitigation and revenue benefits of tolls. The multiyear surface transportation bill passed into law last year gives states more flexibility to use tolls and HOT lanes.
   DOT officials acknowledged that the department is too stovepiped by mode, and said they recognize the need for a more intermodal approach towards regulating commerce. Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Boardman concurred that agencies need to work together on intermodal infrastructure policy, but that safety standards are often unique to various transportation modes and should continue to be regulated by specialized agencies.