Introduction to PPPH
Professor Orin Puniello
Final Paper
May 5, 2014
Transportation Policy and the Transportation Funding Issue
The roads, railroads, bridges, and public transportation systems are all integral parts of the United States; without them there would be numerous predicaments in terms of mobility and the ability to facilitate commerce and shipping. Transportation policy pertains to the development of constructs that are set to achieve certain objectives in social, economic, and environmental development, whilst also simultaneously working with the proper functioning and performance of the transportation system. State governments have realized how imperative it is for the nation to implement new transportation funding ideas and capitalize on these very same ideas. In recent years, the transportation funding dilemma has been increasing due to the capacity of the system not being able to add up to the actual use of the transportation system. Due to this, states have decided that a solution must be found to this issue by increasing funding and financing, especially in congested areas that demand more.
The federal government has kept the transportation funding at stagnant levels. Due to this, in 2013, many states including Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia decided to put policies to use that would essentially create new funding for transportation infrastructure. Officials have been discussing their options since 2013 but many states such as Alaska, Iowa, Wisconsin, New Mexico, and Rhode Island will most probably take action this year after examining the issue at hand. States such as Texas are voting this November in order to decide if funds from the state emergency rainy day fund should be used for transportation projects while other states such as Missouri are petitioning in order to hold a vote on a one-cent tax increase for projects such as transportation infrastructure. The transportation funding