TRANSPORTATION 2020 By JOHN W. McCREE Bureau of Local Roads and Streets, IDOT

Transportation 2020 is an effort to draw a national consensus of the nation's transportation needs through the year 2020 and to build a plan to meet those needs. Public forums are being held in each state to gather public perceptions of current and future transportation needs.

A 27-member Advisory Committee on Highway Policy of more than 100 organizations has been created by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) to co-sponsor the forums. Working with this Committee are the Highway Users Federation and each state's department of transportation.

Forums were held in 27 states through January, with the remainder scheduled to be completed by April. A report summarizing the findings of the public forums will be furnished to the steering committee of Transportation 2020, the Transportation Alternatives Group (TAG), consisting of 12 public and private associations and memberships. This Group will analyze the data and formulate a series of recommendations on what is needed to maintain the nation's transportation infrastructure into the 21st century. This report is scheduled for release in June 1988.

The Illinois forum was held on December 1,1987 at Sangamon State University in Springfield. Invitations were extended to over 200 Illinois organizations interested in future transportation issues. Eighty-one people attended the forum of which 31 provided oral testimony. An additional 30 statements were submitted to IDOT after the hearing. Both oral and written testimonies were presented on behalf of the Illinois Municipal League, the Illinois Association of County Superintendents of Highways, and the Township Officials of Illinois.

Although each respondent was allowed some flexibility to voice his or her concerns, there was some consensus that financial problems, particularly with federal funding, were a central concern. At the federal level, participants wanted to remove the Federal Trust Fund from the unified budget and also wanted to eliminate diversions of these funds to non-highway users. At the state level, additional revenues were recognized as being necessary to rebuild the ailing highway system. At the local level, respondents were concerned that the local highway system is so vast and current funds are so short of needs that either raising existing taxes or locating new funding sources will be necessary in the near future.

The second phase of Transportation 2020 involves a proposed "Futures Congress" to be held in September 1988. The purpose of this conference is to develop a consensus among Highway User Federation members for a national highway transportation program. AASHTO, along with the National Association of Regional Councils and the Federal Highway Administration, will co-sponsor this conference.

The Transportation 2020 goal is to reach agreement on the needs picture and the public and private sector roles in a national surface transportation plan for the 1990s and beyond. A key issue will be to determine if there is a need for continued federal involvement beyond 1991, the final year of the current Federal

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Highway Act. We will keep you advised of developments in this program in future columns.

RAILROAD CROSSING SIGNAL
IMPROVEMENTS

The Illinois Commerce Commission, in cooperation with the Illinois Department of Transportation and the railroads operating in Illinois, has initiated a new signal improvement program. This is a Statewide project at grade level crossings to replace the 8 3/8-inch diameter red warning signal lenses with the larger, more visible 12-inch units.

The project will affect 3,350 crossings and be completed in 3 years at a total estimated cost of $16 million. On the State highway system, IDOT is paying 90% ($1.9 million) of the cost and the affected railroads will pay 10%. On the municipal street system, county highway, road district and township road systems, Motor Fuel Taxes allocated to the Grade Crossing Protection Fund will pay for 90% ($11.5 million), with the railroads paying the remaining 10%.

Many railroads are working on the project and some are nearing completion. This program, when completed, will have an impact on every motorist in the State who encounters a signalized crossing. •

Page 10 / Illinois Municipal Review / March 1988