The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and The Road Information Program (a national transportation research group), released a report entitled "America's Top Five Transportation Headaches - and Their Remedies."


The report identifies crumbling roads and bridges, growing traffic jams, crowded transit systems and rail cars, an unacceptably high rate of traffic crashes and fatalities, and insufficient funding as the top five transportation headaches ailing the nation.

The report also prescribes five remedies for the nation's transportation headaches, which include moving ahead with ready-to-go transportation construction projects; putting unemployed workers back on the job (particularly in the hard-hit construction sector); using the most cost-effective construction techniques and materials; and following a transportation investment strategy that will provide the nation with a transportation system that will improve mobility, safety, and the condition of roads, bridges, and transit systems throughout the nation.

"Fast relief for transportation headaches is one of the immediate benefits we can see from the economic recovery legislation being sought by President-elect Obama. States are ready to move thousands of ready-to-go highway projects that can support 1.8 million jobs," said John Horsley, AASHTO executive director. "Long-term, these transportation investments will build or preserve assets that will help the economy for years."

"Relieving our nation's transportation headaches will go a long way towards relieving the nation's economic headaches by creating jobs in the short and long-term and by increasing the nation's productivity and economic competitiveness," said William M. Wilkins, TRIP's executive director.

For the full report: More info: www.tripnet.org