TEA 3:
The Federal Transportation Budget

TEA-3 is the federal appropriation bill for transportation for the next six years.  Within it are provisions that will have major impacts on transportation funding, local planning and citizen involvement, environmental impacts and social justice.

National Transportation Advocate Speaks Out

"If we want to build broad public support for more investment in transportation, maybe we should give more thought to developing a product line that excites the public.  Continued emphasis on a single mode with modest investment in highway alternatives is not what people are looking for." These comments by Surface Transportation Policy Project President, Anne Canby, are about our national transportation priorities but are equally relevant to Wisconsin's current situation.  To read more of Canby's comments in STPP's recent newsletter, click here.

TEA-3

TEA-3 draws its name from the two proceeding federal transportation bills, ISTEA (the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991) and TEA-21 (The Transportation Efficiency Act for the 21st Century of 1998.)  ISTEA and TEA-21 have had major impacts on creating a more balanced transportation system and TEA-3 can do the same.  Or, it can be used to reel back much of the last 12 years progress.  1000 Friends is working with our partners at both the state and federal level to make sure that TEA-3 continues positive trends.

ISTEA

The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 made major changes for the better in federal transportation policy.  Included in it were provisions for increased planning at the local level, increased citizen involvement and increased stewardship of environmental resources.  It also created mechanisms for fixing existing infrastructure before expanding existing roads and for funding a more balanced transportation system.  It did this by providing more flexibility to states and local governments as well as by creating programs such as Transportation Enhancements (TE) and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ), which provide key funds for alternative modes of transportation.  For more information see links below.

TEA-21

Although ISTEA was a landmark piece of transportation, it left many problems unaddressed and it did not require decision makers to take advantage of the new opportunities provided them.  Fortunately, TEA-21 held the advances of ISTEA firm and went further to create new opportunities.  These opportunities include the following:  the Job Access and Reverse Commuting program (JARC), which is designed to better link low income workers with jobs, particularly in the suburbs; the Transportation and Community and System Preservation Pilot program (TCSP), which works to better address the complex, but inextricable, link between transportation and land use; and expanded funding for New Starts funds for transit systems, and bicycling and walking infrastructure.  For more information see links below.

TEA-3 Reauthorization: Current Updates and Much More Information

1000 Friends partners with the Surface Transportation Policy Project (STPP) on much of our federal transportation work.  Check out their home website or their specialized TEA-3 site for more information.  Two other good sources include the US Department of Transportation’s official reauthorization website, and the Brookings Institute, which has prepared a series of reports addressing key issues tied to reauthorization.

Links to:

1000 Friends of Wisconsin
16 N. Carroll Street, Suite 810   Madison WI 53703    608.259.1000