The Future of Transportation Technology and System Finance
Rob Atkinson will speak on a panel at "The Future of Transportation Technology and System Finance" presented by the Center for American Progress on July 11 from 10:00 a.m. -11:30 a.m.
A technological revolution is coming to transportation that will forever change both how we travel and how we pay for our travel. Nationwide, 117,000 active highway and public transportation projects and 700,000 workers rely on funding from the Highway Trust Fund. Yet, the U.S. Department of Transportation projects that the fund will run out of money in late July 2014. Since 2008, Congress has backfilled the fund with $54 billion in general tax revenues with another $170 billion needed in order to keep the fund solvent over the next 10 years. New vehicle technology platforms will allow states and the federal government to charge drivers for every mile they drive rather than how much fuel they consume. What does this new technology mean for privacy, roadway congestion, and safety? Will the federal government continue to play a central role in transportation infrastructure in the future?
