The New England region is burdened with some of the oldest transportation infrastructure in the country. Age, accelerated wear and tear from acid rain and road salt, and our harsh climate have all contributed to deterioration throughout our transportation network. The result: an infrastructure that requires ever-increasing expenditures to barely maintain the status quo.
All six New England states are included among the top 15 states with the most structurally deficient and obsolete bridges in the country. Our bridges, highways, rail and transit lines are crumbling under traffic levels far beyond those originally anticipated by their planners and designers. Since 1990, our road traffic increased two to three times faster than our population growth. New England relies heavily on trucks for freight delivery – with the consequent highway wear and tear – and truck traffic is projected to increase 60 to 100 percent by 2020.
In New England, transportation-related delays cost some $1.7 billion annually. With business leaders continually citing the quality of transportation infrastructure—and the ability to move both goods and people—as key factors in their location decisions, New England’s commercial areas become less and less competitive every year.
New England’s current transportation system is highly road dependent and requires long commutes. Limited availability of rail service restricts commuting options. Without investment in a transportation infrastructure to facilitate workforce mobility and business activities, the region will continue to have difficulty competing economically with other parts of the country and the world.
Our Transportation Committee has worked to provide a cohesive New England message on transportation funding and legislation before Congress. The NEC staff contact for the committee is Peter Phipps.
As the debate continued in Washington, DC, over how to decrease the federal deficit through a combination of spending cuts and new sources in late 2011, the New England Council weighed in with concerns about a proposal put forth by the Obama Administration. The Administration proposed a $100 per flight tax for commercial, cargo and general aviation, as well as an increase in the security tax from today’s minimum of $2.50 per customer per flight segment to $7.50.
In a letter sent to each member of the New England Congressional delegation, the Council expressed concerns that these proposals would be detrimental to individual airline passengers, to the airlines themselves, and to companies who depend on air cargo services to increase exports of manufactured goods.
Click here to read a copy of the Council’s letter to the delegation on this issue.
Some facts on air travel and cargo in New England:
While the New England Council’s goal is to encourage regional collaboration on a wide range of issues, such collaboration is particularly important when it comes to transportation. In 2008, the Council hosted a forum to discuss greater regional cooperation in advance of the approaching federal transportation funding legislation. The event brought together federal and state transportation officials, regional planning and transit organizations, academic experts and members of New England congressional delegation. At the forum, the Council presented its white paper, “Working Together: The Importance of the New England States Developing a Regional Transportation Strategy,” which analyzed the growing transportation problem in New England and recommended regional collaboration as part of the solution.
In 2009, as Congress prepared multi-billion dollar economic stimulus legislation, the Council prepared a report outlining the projected employment impact in New England of increased highway infrastructure spending. In its research, the Council identified approximately 170 “shovel ready” transportation infrastructure projects in the region, and estimated that these projects, if funded, could create over 40,000 jobs in New England. The report was provided to members of the New England congressional delegation as they considered how stimulus funds would be allocated.
The New England Council has long supported the expansion of high speed rail throughout the six-state region as a means to promote economic development. In early 2010, the Council supported the New England Governors’ coordinated applications for high-speed rail grants under the Federal Railroad Administration’s High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program. The Council prepared a report outlining the need for and many benefits of expanded rail service in the region, which was provided to the entire New England congressional delegation.
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01/10/2012 | Read Press Release
11/16/2011 | Read Press Release