Spring, 1998, Vol. 4, No. 2

Transportation Policy Primer

By Amy Rynell

ISTEA: On December 18, 1991 the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act was signed into law, providing authorizations for highways, highway safety and mass transportation through the end of 1997. The purpose of the act is to develop a National Intermodal Transportation System that is economically efficient and environmentally sound. ISTEA is currently up for reauthorization by Congress.

MPO: ISTEA requires every urban area with more than 50,000 inhabitants to establish a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) to handle transport planning. In accordance with the act, the MPO is supposed to pursue 15 objectives, the first priority being preservation of the current system, the second being an improvement in the efficiency of existing facilities, and the third being investment in new projects. The law proffers more money for transit and more flexibility in the use of highway funds for non-highway transportation, giving local decision makers the change to create a balance in spending between the disparate options.

CATS: The federally designated MPO for the Chicago region, which includes Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties and encompasses 3,749 square miles of land and water, is the Chicago Area Transportation Study (CATS). It is a division of the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Destination 2020: CATS alone has discretion to program approximately $650 billion of federal transportation funds and has developed Destination 2020, the long range plan for major investments in the Chicago metropolitan region ground transportation system. Destination 2020 recommends major projects, systems, policies and strategies designed to maintain existing transportation investments and serve future travel needs. If a project is not included in or consistent with this plan, it cannot receive federal funds. Destination 2020 was adopted at the end of 1997.

Amy Rynell is a second-year Social Administration student at SSA. Her field placement is at the Heartland Alliance for Human Rights and Human Needs.

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