Skip to main content

President’s transportation budget ‘takes the next step’, says ITS America

Announcing President Obama’s US$98.1 billion Fiscal Year 2017 Budget for the US Department of Transportation (DOT), Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said, “Meeting future challenges will require a long-term vision for the transportation sector that includes more and cleaner options, and expands those options to communities across the country. This budget brings us closer to that vision.” The Budget addresses the DOT’s top priority, safety, with investments in the safe integration of emerging techno
February 10, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Announcing President Obama’s US$98.1 billion Fiscal Year 2017 Budget for the 324 US Department of Transportation (DOT), Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said, “Meeting future challenges will require a long-term vision for the transportation sector that includes more and cleaner options, and expands those options to communities across the country. This budget brings us closer to that vision.”

The Budget addresses the DOT’s top priority, safety, with investments in the safe integration of emerging technologies, such as autonomous vehicles and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), which have the potential to transform transportation systems, save lives and reduce carbon emissions.
 
It also supports the authorised funding levels in the recent surface transportation authorisation, the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act , but also moves to a regionally-focused approach to transportation funding that reflects the changing shape of the country’s communities and prioritises spending on projects that will have the most benefits.

Commenting on the budget, a spokesman for ITS America said: “Lives saved, more time for friends and family and more efficient movement of a growing economy are not Democratic or Republican priorities. They are American priorities. Congress accelerated the deployment of Intelligent Transportation Systems with the FAST Act. 77 cities across our nation are stepping up to US DOT’s Smart City Challenge to invest in smart infrastructure and modern, high-tech transportation services.”
 
“The President's budget takes the next step by investing not only in needed traditional infrastructure improvements but also the next frontier of automated and connected vehicle technologies and other transportation innovations that will transform our modern way of life.  This is a budget that Congress and future administrations should build on to make connected and automated vehicles, smart infrastructure and transportation innovation a cornerstone of our nation’s economic strength and global competitiveness.”

Related Content

  • May 15, 2015
    USDOT ‘accelerating on V2V technology’
    The US Department of Transportation (US DOT) is accelerating its timetable on a proposed V2V rule that would require vehicle-to-vehicle equipment --technology that allows cars to ‘talk’ to one another-- in all new vehicles. V2V technology is a critical element of the connected automation that makes driverless cars as safe as possible. Writing in the USDOT Fastlane blog, Transportation Secretary Antony Foxx announced that he has directed the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) t
  • November 6, 2015
    Support for US transportation bill
    The Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) and the Teamsters have given their support to the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2015 (the STRR Act), which was overwhelmingly approved by the US House of Representatives after three days of debate. The bipartisan, multi-year surface transportation bill to reauthorise and reform federal highway, transit, and highway safety programs helps improve US surface transportation infrastructure, refocuses programs on address
  • April 2, 2015
    IBTTA, ARBTA, ATFI comment on latest Grow America Act
    The International Bridge, Toll and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) has applauded the Grow America Act 2.0 just released by the US Administration and US DOT. It says that once again, the Administration has boldly called for lifting the ban on Interstate tolling for the purpose of reconstruction, giving states greater flexibility to meet their challenging infrastructure and surface transportation needs. The six-year, US$478 is said to be US$126 billion more than current investment levels and US$238 billion mo
  • December 8, 2016
    US DOT seeks applications for Beyond Traffic innovation centres
    Building on the US Department of Transportation’s (US DOT) future-focused Beyond Traffic draft report outlining forthcoming trends of the next 30 years, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has announced a solicitation for applicants to be designated as US DOT Beyond Traffic Innovation Centers. These centres will be capable of driving solutions to the challenges identified in Beyond Traffic through research, curriculum, outreach, and other activities. Some of the challenges outlined include 45 per cent