$67 billion for 2008 to finance key transportation construction, congestion relief and safety programs, and to provide the framework for reforming the aviation system, is being requested by Bush Administration as the…
$67 billion for 2008 to finance key transportation construction, congestion relief and safety programs, and to provide the framework for reforming the aviation system, is being requested by Bush Administration as the U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters revealed.
“Our goal is to deliver a transportation system that frees all of us to make daily decisions confident we can reach our destinations safely, without worrying about how we will get there, or if we can make it on time,” Secretary Peters said.
The Secretary noted that the budget request provides a framework for reforming the aviation system by tying what users pay to the costs of providing air traffic control and other services. She added that the request also includes $175 million for a 21st Century satellite navigation system to replace older air traffic control equipment and $900 million in additional air traffic control system upgrades.
“Our plan puts incentives in place that will make the system more efficient as well as more responsive to the needs of the aviation community,” Secretary Peters said. “This is critical if we are to deploy the state-of-the-art technology that can safely handle the dramatic increases in the number and type of aircraft using our skies.”
The Administration is seeking a record $42 billion for highway construction and safety programs, the Secretary said. The FY 2008 budget request proposes overall transportation safety funding of $20.3 billion. This request will fund the aviation and surface transportation safety programs and initiatives. Included in the amount are programs and activities to target areas like motorcycle crashes and drunk driving.
The 2008 budget also requests $175 million to cut traffic congestion by developing commuter traffic information systems, accelerating construction along trade and travel corridors and helping metropolitan areas test new solutions. The budget request includes $1.3 billion for commuter rail and transit projects for urban areas and $100 million for transit projects in smaller towns and rural areas, the Secretary added.
In announcing the budget request, Secretary Peters invited Congress to work with the Department on solutions to financing and managing the nation’s transportation network, noting that the government is spending from the Highway Trust Fund at a rate that is faster than the growth in revenue in part because of the explosive growth in earmarks.
“Freedom is at the core of our American values, but we lose a little more freedom each time we venture into traffic,” the Secretary said. “This budget proposal takes a big step in helping us get our freedom back.”
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