ITB495 via FlickrThe last time surface transportation reauthorization went before Congress, the result ended up wildly exceeding what even the most optimistic infrastructure advocates could have expected a year earlier.
Congress wrapped surface transportation reauthorization into the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was signed into law by then-President Joe Biden in November 2021. The IIJA authorized an unprecedented $1.2 trillion in investment for infrastructure, including the transportation sector.
The IIJA’s scope went well beyond surface transportation, including provisions for broadband, drinking water, and energy. The legislation expires in September 2026, and nobody expects the next surface transportation reauthorization bill to be a repeat of the IIJA. But those involved with the transportation sector, including civil engineers, say it is imperative to keep funding levels for the sector at least equal to those in the IIJA.
Further reading:
- Study: ‘Snapback’ to pre-IIJA infrastructure investment levels could cost US $637 billion
- Long-delayed FAA reauthorization comes at right time for civil engineers
- Across the US the IIJA is boosting projects large and small
“The IIJA was a landmark bill for infrastructure, and it was unique in that it covered more than just surface transportation,” said Jim Pajk, P.E., M.ASCE, who is the city engineer in Columbus, Ohio. “It covered basically all aspects that are near and dear to civil engineers.
“We had just gone through years of underinvestment on the federal level, and the IIJA helped reduce that funding gap.”
‘The biggest priority’
At ASCE’s Solutions Summit in March, U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., called surface transportation reauthorization “the biggest priority” for the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, of which he is chair. Recognizing the issue’s importance, the committee began holding hearings in January, 20 months before the IIJA expires.
The committee recently solicited industry groups for input on reauthorization as it drafts legislative text. In response, ASCE outlined what it views as five umbrella priorities: sustaining infrastructure investment levels, prioritizing safety, enhancing project delivery, improving operations and maintenance, and preparing for the future.
The ASCE memo notes that, since the IIJA’s passage, $591 billion has been directed to more than 72,000 projects that have preserved, improved, and expanded highways; enhanced road and railroad crossing safety; sped up the movement of goods at ports; and increased connectivity in rural and small communities.
Maintaining funding levels across the various programs included in the IIJA would help continue this momentum.
Large transportation projects “can take many, many years to move forward, and we only right now have certainty through 2026, so it’s important for us to get another surface transportation bill … that can keep moving on the progress we’ve made in this past four years,” said Pajk, who is chair of ASCE’s Transportation Policy Committee.
One project that was a clear beneficiary of the IIJA was the Brent Spence Bridge, which connects Cincinnati and Covington, Kentucky. The double-decker bridge opened in 1963 and has long been in need of repair and upgrades. The IIJA has invested a whopping $1.6 billion to upgrade the existing bridge and construct a new span dedicated to through traffic.
It was a long-running topic of discussion in Ohio.
“I was at an event where someone said, ‘When are we going to finally do something about the bridge instead of (political candidates) using it as a political backdrop for their campaigns?’” Pajk said. “The IIJA allowed that to happen, and now that project is moving forward. And there’s more bridges and more projects out there (besides) the Brent Spence Bridge.”
Safety first
In its memo, ASCE notes that robust funding for U.S. Department of Transportation safety-focused programs is imperative.
More than 39,000 people died in motor vehicle accidents in 2024, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates. These various programs protect drivers, passengers, bicyclists, pedestrians, and those working on transportation projects.
Pajk says cities across the U.S. are working to make roads safer for everybody, with an emphasis on first mile and last mile and a focus on pedestrians and cyclists.
“As a cyclist, you’re always going to be a little more comfortable and you might be more willing to ride to work on a bike if you know the lane was protected and you know you’re not out there with the mix of traffic,” he said. “Everybody talks about Vision Zero, which is the elimination of all deaths on the road. And how do we get there? We need to start taking those small steps of making everything safer on all levels.”
To speed the project delivery process without compromising safety, the ASCE memo calls on Congress to “legislate ways for the permitting process to be streamlined in a safe and responsible way.” And at the Solutions Summit, Graves echoed the importance of permitting reform.
“We’ve just started down that road, and I think that's helped out considerably. … When projects take forever, when it takes seven years before you can turn a shovel of dirt, that’s just ridiculous,” he said. “It just should not be that way. When you have to navigate the myriad of agencies to get permitting, it shouldn't be that way.”
Short of legislation, there are ways to expedite the process. For example, the Secretary of Transportation can grant states the authority to assume federal National Environmental Policy Act responsibilities for transportation projects.
Pajk has seen a difference in Ohio, which applied for and received this authority, which is known as NEPA Assignment. Seven other states have been granted the authority, according to the Center for Environmental Excellence by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Any state can apply.
“That helps build a little more efficiency in that whole process where projects can get cleared” faster, Pajk said. “It’s just being able to streamline those approvals (for) permitting and environmental clearance. We certainly care about the elements for those approvals, but we think there are ways the process can be done more efficiently.
“It just takes another rung out of the ladder that you’re climbing up.”
In another development, last month the Supreme Court ruled that federal agencies can take a more limited view of the environmental impacts of the infrastructure projects they are issuing permits for, which is expected to speed up those projects.
Of course, a big part of surface transportation is improving and maintaining what is in place. This, too, comes back to funding. As noted in ASCE’s memo: “Sufficient funding for maintenance, and proper stewardship of those funds, is critical to preserving, repairing, and rehabilitating the nation’s infrastructure.”
Before the IIJA, existing U.S. infrastructure endured decades of underinvestment. According to an analysis of Federal Highway Administration data, 39% of major U.S. roads are in poor or mediocre condition. FHWA data also shows only 44.1% of U.S. bridges are in good condition; the rest are fair (49.1%) or poor (6.8%).
ASCE’s 2025 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, released in March, issued bridges a grade of C, equal to the overall grade assigned to U.S. infrastructure. Rail received a B-, roads received a D+, and transit got a D.
And in preparing for the future, there’s reason to think that there will be a need to upgrade, replace, or bolster much of the U.S. transportation infrastructure in an era of increasing extreme weather events. The ASCE memo stresses resilience in infrastructure, which leads to longer project viability, cost savings over time, fewer negative impacts on communities, and more public involvement in decision-making.
Pajk pointed to Hurricane Helene’s devastation in western North Carolina last year. The storm caused nearly $60 billion in damages in the state, including harm to infrastructure, largely from flooding. And it could happen anywhere in the U.S.
“From an engineering standpoint, we’ve got a lot of systems out there that have been built either based on older standards or outdated data that was used back then to design it,” Pajk said. “(With increased) heavy rainstorms and flooding events that are coming in, we need to get better models to allow engineers to design and provide more resiliency in our systems.”
Reason to hope
In a sharply divided Congress, there is hope that this legislation can avoid partisanship. At ASCE’s Legislative Fly-In in March, surface transportation reauthorization was among the topics that members brought before their congressional representatives and senators.
Pajk notes that there are no “right-leaning or left-leaning bridges.” There is precedent that indicates surface transportation reauthorization could be a smooth process: The Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2024 passed in the House by a 387-26 vote.
All sides also agree that a long-term bill – preferably five years – is better than a stopgap measure.
“We don't want to get into a situation where we're doing continuing resolutions,” Pajk said. “The longer the bill, the more certainty that communities have; it just gives you more confidence (to execute big projects).”
Speaking at a transportation panel at the Solutions Summit, Garrett Eucalitto, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Transportation, reiterated the importance of sustained funding levels.
He noted that – absent secure funding – welders, steelworkers, and other laborers who work on transportation infrastructure projects could “easily go work for our submarine manufacturer right next to where we’re building a bridge, and once we lose them to that sector, they’re not coming back to build roads and bridges for us.”
“It’s like a steam engine,” said Eucalitto, who also serves as president of AASHTO. “It took us a little while to get going with the five-year IIJA, and if we stop after this five-year period and slow down again, it’s going to take another long time to get moving again up to where we need to be.”
Also of note
- ASCE members in Utah released the 2025 Report Card for Utah’s Infrastructure, issuing an overall grade of C+, matching the state’s 2020 assessment. The grade ties two other states – Georgia and Wisconsin – for the highest overall grade to date on a state infrastructure report card.
- The Environmental Protection Agency last month announced nearly $31 million in grant funding for training and technical assistance to improve water quality in small and rural communities.
- The Federal Transit Administration is making $1.5 billion in competitive grants available through programs that focus on low-emission buses and bus facilities.
