U.S. Must Tackle Broad Transport Issues when Economy Recovers, Mendez Says

This story appears in the Oct. 26 print edition of Transport Topics.

WASHINGTON — When the economy recovers and freight traffic begins to grow again, the nation needs to turn its attention to broader transportation issues that address everything from funding to livability, said Victor Mendez, newly appointed Federal Highway Administrator.

“I wouldn’t say just highways but all the transportation options that will be necessary for our future generations,” Mendez told Transport Topics during an interview, in which he avoided specific answers on such controversial issues as truck size and weight or tolls on interstate highways.

“What are the priorities? Where are we taking transportation?” asked Mendez, who headed the Arizona Department of Transportation before he arrived in Washington. “That’s going to be very critical, and right now, we’re beginning to have those discussions,” he said.

Mendez spoke about the challenges he faces in his new job after an Oct. 16 event here celebrating the designation of 43 roadways in 26 states as new scenic or historical byways.

On the job for three months, Mendez said much of his attention has focused on helping to dig the nation out of the economic recession.

“When you think about eight months ago, the president signed a bill and we started with zero projects, zero dollars,” Mendez said, “[and] we have authorized and approved over 8,000 projects and over $19 billion worth of projects — so that’s about a thousand projects a month — that’s pretty amazing.”

Mendez didn’t take a position on whether he would be willing to explore changes to federal law that would allow for heavier, larger trucks.

“We will entertain whatever Congress wants to do,” he said, adding that there are safety concerns, as well as concerns about whether the highway infrastructure and local street systems can handle larger, heavier trucks.

“Those are questions that need to be debated, researched and analyzed,” Mendez said.

He also was guarded in discussing Pennsylvania’s application to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration for permission to put tolls on Interstate 80.

Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell (D) is preparing to reapply, after the state’s request was rejected by the Bush administration.

In the short term, FHWA will look at such applications on a case-by-case basis, Mendez said, but in the long term, he said he wants to see a larger discussion on everything having to do with highways and where they fit in the nation’s overall transportation system.

“I think as we move into the reauthorization discussion, our secretary [Ray LaHood] has made it very clear that we want to be looking at outside-the-box thinking . . . to be able to move our system into the 21st century,” Mendez said.

Congress was to tackle a transportation reauthorization bill this year, but the Obama administration has resisted congressional pressure to push for a new bill, and Congress is working on a short-term extension of current transportation legislation.

The administration has urged adoption of an 18-month funding plan that would give the White House and lawmakers time to work on a comprehensive approach to transportation planning and funding.

Funding is the “crux” of all transportation issues right now, Mendez said, and the issues have to be discussed in terms of what transportation will look like in the future, given the nation’s demographic and economic changes as more people are living and working in urban areas.

In all discussions surrounding transportation, Mendez said, “We will be having a high level of emphasis on livability.”