The original federal interstate highway program, which President Eisenhower signed into law in 1956, was designed to achieve an important national objective: the creation of a surface transportation system capable of facilitating interstate commerce and supporting cross-country travel. This necessarily involved subsidizing infrastructure development in some states at the expense of others to complete a comprehensive, national transportation network.
The interstate highway system was completed some time ago, yet these cross-subsidies continue, placing some states, including Arizona, at a continuing disadvantage. Arizona is no longer the sparsely populated, slow-growing state it was at the outset of the interstate highway program. Today, it is one of the fastest growing states in the nation. Yet the formula for allocating federal gas tax revenues fails to recognize that growth and continues to provide Arizona with less than its fair share of funding for transportation infrastructure.
Fighting for Arizona’s Fair Share of Highway Funding
When I was first elected to the Senate, just 86 cents of every dollar in gas tax revenue Arizonans sent to Washington, D.C. was returned to the state for highway improvements. Today, as a result of efforts I’ve undertaken with Senator McCain, Arizona receives about 7 percent more – 92 cents on the dollar. That’s a big improvement, but Arizona still remains a “donor” state.
I am continuing to look for ways to ensure a more equitable distribution of highway funding. I helped win approval of a provision in a 2008 highway bill that requires the federal government to pay a greater share of the costs of certain transportation projects in states, like Arizona, that have large amounts of public lands. Under this provision, which is now law, Arizona would pay only 5.7 percent of project costs, compared to 20 percent under prior law. This has resulted in significant savings for local governments in Arizona – and a fairer share of federal highway funds for the benefit of Arizona’s motorists. Since Congress may reauthorize the current highway law this year, there will be yet another chance to improve the funding formula.
Enhancing Competition in Air Service
The number of direct flights between the western United States and our nation’s capital is currently limited by antiquated regulations that limit consumer choice and needlessly raise the cost of air travel. Of the more than 400 flights in and out of Washington, D.C.’s Reagan National Airport, only a handful are permitted to fly distances greater than 1,250 miles. The limitation was meant to shift air traffic to Dulles Airport, which is approximately 30 miles away from the capital city. While it has done that, it has also helped make Dulles one of the more expensive airports in the nation for air travelers.
Allowing more long-haul flights in and out of Reagan National would give Arizonans more choice, and, by forcing airlines to compete for those slots, help drive down airfares for consumers’ benefit. I support such initiatives to promote competition, improve air service, and reduce costs. I helped to win passage of a provision in the FAA reauthorization bill that allows eight additional round-trip flights at Reagan National Airport beyond the 1,250-mile perimeter.
Promoting Competition on U.S. Roadways
Until 2007, Mexican trucks shipping goods to the U.S. had to stop at the border and transfer their shipments to American trucks, which would then transport them to their ultimate destinations. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimated that the process added about $400 million to the cost of goods, with the additional expense then passed on to U.S. consumers.
To eliminate this unnecessary cost and fulfill our nation’s obligations under free trade agreements, the Department of Transportation established a pilot program in 2007 to allow Mexican trucks access to U.S. roadways. The pilot program included a number of requirements to ensure the safety of the Mexican trucks that were permitted access. For example, the U.S. Department of Transportation was required to perform a thorough review of cargo content, safety history, and business records. U.S. inspectors then visited trucking companies in Mexico to conduct pre-authorization safety audits, and trucks were then checked again for compliance with safety and security requirements once they reached the border. Mexican trucks had to be insured by U.S. insurance companies, and drivers had to meet requirements of medical fitness.
Although some contended that Mexican trucks were unsafe, the Arizona Daily Star editorialized that such arguments “proved unfounded.” The Washington Post went further, suggesting that “Mexican trucks compiled a safety record comparable to that of American rigs.” Nevertheless, two years after the pilot program was established, Congress voted to suspend it, an action that then led Mexico to impose $2.9 billion in tariffs on almost 100 American-made products. Starting a trade war was the last thing we needed when the economy was suffering from recession. I opposed the cut-off.
In July of 2011, the U.S. and Mexico finally signed an agreement to reinstate the pilot cross-border trucking program and end the Mexican tariff on U.S. products. The accord requires all Mexican trucks operating in the U.S. to comply with U.S. safety standards and mandates the installation of monitoring devices to track truck usage and compliance with service requirements. As a result of this agreement, the first Mexican trucks began entering the U.S. last October.
Honoring a Fallen Hero: the Tillman-O’Callaghan Bridge
The Tillman-O’Callaghan Bridge, previously known as the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge, was completed in October 2010. The bridge spans the Black Canyon (about 1,500 feet south of the Hoover Dam), connecting Arizona and Nevada. Construction of the bridge was originally authorized by Congress in 1984 to facilitate the flow of traffic on U.S. Highway 93, a major interstate and international commerce corridor. Its construction took on added urgency after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Many feared that the Hoover Dam could itself be subject to an attack given its importance to transportation, energy production, and the economy as a whole. As a result, trucks and other large vehicles were banned from crossing the Hoover Dam after September 11.
I worked to secure funding for the bridge with Senators McCain and Reid, as well as to secure a provision in the 2005 highway bill to name the bridge in honor of Pat Tillman, the former star of the Arizona Cardinals who valiantly gave his life in defense of freedom in Afghanistan (the bridge also bears the name of former Nevada Governor O’Callaghan).
