As you are probably aware, the country is in need of a long-term federal surface transportation bill, as the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (or FAST) Act will expire later this year. To ensure safe and reliable transportation infrastructure for all, it is imperative that Congress pass a long-term transportation bill. Without a long-term bill, state departments of transportation are left working on short-term extensions, which cause delays to critical projects and unnecessary disruptions to the traveling public.  

One way to show how important transportation is to our quality of life and our economy is to highlight very real benefits to people and businesses. AASHTO staff is collecting these stories to use in a public awareness effort that will re-launch in March. Many of you have already submitted incredible stories. Now we are asking whether there are any more you’d like to share. We also want to include stories from DOTs that have not yet participated.  

We want to share with Congress brief stories of how transportation, with reliable, long-term funding, keeps people and goods moving in a safe and efficient manner.We want examples of projects and programs from your state that have demonstrated economic and quality of life benefits of transportation (such as job growth, reliability, reduced congestion, accessibility, safety, community health, habitat and ecosystem conservation, etc.). We are looking for stories that show just how personal transportation is (and can be articulated in less than 300 words). 

AASHTO has developed a website that features stories from each state, along with supporting video and printed collateral. To see how we present these stories (and which ones your state has already provided to us), visit https://benefits.transportation.org/. Please submit your stories by January 22, 2021.  

You know that transportation is vital for the economic vitality and quality of life for all. Let’s show Congress exactly why we can’t afford to go without a long-term surface transportation funding bill.