The bill would also lessen surface level public transit investment by 20% and eliminate the advance appropriations provided by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which has funded surface-level transportation in America for the last five years, is up for reauthorization in Congress. In a temporary spending bill passed Sept. 1, Congress voted to reduce surface-level public transit investment by 20% and passenger rail by 83% from current levels, according to the American Public Transportation Association.
The continuing resolution bill would also extend transportation programs funded by the Highway Trust Fund at fiscal year 2026 levels but would not continue the advance appropriations provided by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Dan Zukowski writes for Smart Cities Dive.
Smart Cities Dive reports:
Leaving out the advance appropriations would “immediately disrupt and delay ongoing planning, engineering, and construction of surface transportation projects across the nation,” APTA President and CEO Paul Skoutelas said in a July 31 letter to House and Senate leaders.
Surface-level transportation reauthorization happens every five years in the United States. The last period of funding provided a historic $673.8 billion to transportation programs over five years, spread across highways, transit, rail, aviation, pipeline and other programs. The original reauthorization deadline was Sept. 30, but Congress' continuing resolution bill will push the deadline to Dec. 11 if signed by Pres. Donald Trump.
Read the full story: House sends stopgap funding bill to White House with less transportation funding
Sharp cuts to federal passenger rail, public transit funding arrive today
The American Public Transportation Associations estimates the stopgap bill will result in an over 80% cut to federal passenger rail investment and 20% cut to public transit investment.
Surface transportation funding extended to mid-December
The temporary spending bill reduces public transit funding by 20% and passenger rail funding by 81%.
Restoring Solvency to the Highway Trust Fund
The Highway Trust Fund, the nation's source of road and bridge funding, went bankrupt in 2008 and has since relied on transfers from the General Fund to supplement fuel taxes. Republican Senators have proposed a new funding source: an EV fee.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Move over, LA: St. Louis gears up for Olympics, invests millions in downtown redevelopment
The Missouri city will host the 2028 Olympic soccer group stage and knockout matches.
Maryland’s $15 billion bridge project gains key approval
The Maryland Transit Authority said the project will create over 60,000 jobs and add $23 billion to the local economy.
‘No clear next steps’ for Chicago's permanent festival grounds
Eleventh Ward Ald. Nicole Lee has suggested Soldier Field as a possible location for the permanent event space.
California, Hawaii, Rhode Island approve housing propositions
Hawaii and Rhode Island each approved their sole proposition, while California approved two of its three.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
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