Petri stresses intermodal focus in national transportation funding
Congressman Tom Petri, R-Wis., said that growing demand for road and rail capacity means that a focus on intermodal projects will be a high priority for the federal government.
Petri spoke ahead of a hearing on intermodalism by the House Subcommittee on Highways, Transit and Pipelines, which he chairs.
“The nation’s transportation system faces ever growing demands,” Petri said. “About 5 trillion passenger-miles of travel occurred in 2002. Annual vehicle-miles of travel in the United States rose by nearly 30 percent between 1989 and 1999 to almost 2.7 trillion miles. More importantly, passenger travel and freight transportation are expected to increase. Current DOT estimates show that between 2000 and 2010, passenger vehicle travel on public roads will grow 24.7 percent, and freight moved by truck, rail, and water will increase 43 percent.
Later he said, “the role of states, regions, and local communities is significant as the Department of Transportation has a limited role in managing how funds are to be locally allocated. DOT’s ability to set and enforce strong policies on intermodal transportation is also affected by the sources of funding involved in the project and requirements set by the other
entities.”