NATaT Supports Direct, Guaranteed Funding to Local Roads and Bridges
Towns and townships in many NATaT-member states manage more miles of road than any other government entity in their states. NATaT supports a solution in transportation reauthorization that guarantees direct and consistent funding for locally owned roads and bridges.
NATaT Supports a Realistic Definition of “Rural”
The majority of towns and townships in this country have a population of 5,000 or less. If the federal government wants to ensure needed funds are getting to all areas of the country – urban and rural and anywhere in between – a more realistic definition of rural is necessary. If the Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program is authorized in transportation reauthorization, NATaT supports the Protecting Infrastructure Investments for Rural America Act (H.R. 502) that reduces the definition of “rural area” in the Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program from 200,000 to 30,000.
NATaT Supports Increasing Access to the Federal Off-System Bridge Program
NATaT supports the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT’s) Off-System Bridge program, which funds state and local bridges that are not on the Federal-aid Highway system. However, many of the nation’s “bridges” that need repair and replacement are not eligible because they do not meet the federal definition of a bridge — “a structure having a span greater than 20 feet” (23 CFR 661.17(a)(1)). NATaT supports increased funds for the federal bridge program that are provided to states for non-state structures less than 20 feet, which states must distribute through a competitive process based on condition and economic need.
NATaT Supports Authorization of the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program
NATaT supports authorization for the SS4A grant program in transportation reauthorization. The program provides funding to develop the tools to help strengthen a community’s approach to roadway safety and save lives and is designed to meet the needs of local, Tribal, and regional communities that differ dramatically in size, location, and experience administering federal funding.
NATaT Supports the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program
NATaT supports the continued authorization of the CRISI program, which funds eligible rail safety and service improvements, such as rail crossing improvements, upgrading track, and replacing or rehabilitating aging bridges. NATaT is also highly supportive of maintaining the 25 percent rural area set-aside to ensure smaller communities have a fair shot at accessing these funds.
NATaT Opposes Efforts to Allow Bigger Trucks on Our Roadways
The current weight limit for trucks operating on the federal highway system is 80,000 pounds. NATaT opposes any effort to allow bigger trucks on our roadways. Larger, heavier trucks imperil road safety and severely impact our already weakening infrastructure, especially on local roads and bridges where these vehicles ultimately travel.
NATaT Cautions Against VMT
NATaT is concerned that a VMT fee would impact rural drivers disproportionally higher than others. NATaT wants to ensure that any effort to impose VMT fees considers the limited transportation options for rural residents and the resulting need to use their vehicles to access work and daily services.
To learn more, download the full policy paper.
