Preparation for new transportation plan must begin now

State and national highway officials must explore new methods of funding transportation projects in Kansas.  Lawmakers of the House and Senate Transportation and Tax Committees received information last session regarding the inability of America's infrastructure to handle the volume of people and goods it carries each day.

As planning for a new transportation plan gets underway, communities must voice their desire for highway projects so they will be included in the next cycle.  The last transportation program, passed in 1999, provided over $13.6 billion in infrastructure improvements.  This included funding for short line railroads, airports and public transit systems.  The program also provided over 114,000 jobs. 

Developing a comprehensive transportation program for Kansas is tremendously important.  The new plan will require innovative thinking and difficult prioritizing.  A failure to adequately prepare for the future will leave our infrastructure overworked, under-funded and increasingly unsafe.  Though time still remains on the current program, development for the next phase must begin now.