The Woodrow Wilson School's Policy Research Institute for the Region (PRIOR) has released its latest publication, "Transportation and Infrastructure Issues for the Next Decade," a summary report drawn from a conference cosponsored with the Voorhees Transportation Center, Rutgers University, and the Wagner Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management, New York University.

The current federal surface transportation bill expired in September 2009. This is a critical moment for the United States. Even as the economy weakens, its transportation infrastructure, which must bolster that economy, is failing. It is plagued by congestion, by deferred maintenance, and outdated and insufficient systems and infrastructure. At the same time, it faces new challenges related to energy, the environment, and public health -- not to mention how to pay for what is needed. All of these call for a shift in the way we approach transportation.

This event explored the status of the next surface transportation authorization legislation; the opportunities for new financing sources; and the ways in which citizens may want to – and need to – link transportation to broader policy goals in energy, health, and the environment.

The conference’s three panels addressed the above topics, and the panelists included the Commissioners of Transportation from the states of New York and New Jersey – as well as speakers from the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership, the Brookings Institution, the American Association of State and Transportation Officials, and the Environmental Defense Fund.

The opening address was delivered by Anthony Coscia, Chairman of the Board of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The lunch speaker was the Mortimer Downey, Chairman of Pb Consult, Inc. and former Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, who addressed “Philosophical and Fiscal Hurdles Facing Transportation Reauthorization.”

Conference video may be viewed via the PRIOR website.