As published in the March 1, 2013 Toledo Business Journal
Christine Drennen
TMACOG
Transportation legislation vital to area growth
Toledo Business Journal recently interviewed the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments (TMACOG) transportation public administration specialist, Christine Drennen. She shared the following thoughts.
Toledo Business Journal: Can you explain the purpose and content of the Transportation Legislative Agenda?
Christine Drennen: The Transportation Legislative Agenda is a way to communicate with lawmakers at all levels. There are numerous opportunities and challenges facing our region that involve our transportation network and the funding and policy decisions about them are made at the State and federal levels, as well as at the local level.
The purpose of the agenda is to promote policies that are consistent with the locally identified needs of the Toledo region, especially as presented in the region’s Long Range Transportation Plan. It deals with all the modes we use for moving people and goods including air, rail, and marine transport, highways, streets and bridges, public transportation, and bike and pedestrian travel.
The agenda also includes a section on the transportation-related university programs within the region. It is a rich source of information on transportation funding options and regional priorities.
TBJ: What is the Transportation Coalition and who are its members?
CD: The agenda is produced and endorsed by a group of 17 stakeholder organizations called the Toledo Regional Transportation Coalition (TRTC). These are highly engaged members with a deep understanding of the connection between transportation and regional economic advancement. They share their perspectives and priorities on a continuous basis, and about every two years they combine efforts to produce a document for legislators. The consensus view that is reflected in the agenda enables all of these different coalition members to speak with a unified voice for the resources and policies that will enable our region to grow.
Members of the TRTC include: City of Bowling Green, City of Toledo, Lucas County Economic Development Corporation (LCEDC), Lucas County Engineer, Northwest Ohio Mayors & Managers Association (NOMMA), Northwest Ohio Regional Economic Development Association (NORED), Ohio Contractors Association-Northwest Ohio Chapter (OCA), Regional Growth Partnership (RGP), Toledo Advocacy Group of Northwest Ohio (TAGNO), Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority (TARTA), Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority (TLCPA), Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments (TMACOG), Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce, Toledo Trucking Association (TTA), Intermodal Transportation Institute and University Transportation Center of the University of Toledo, Wood County Economic Development Corporation (WCEDC), Wood County Engineer.
TBJ: Can you share some of the high priority projects in the current Transportation Legislative Agenda?
CD: The agenda includes key projects, policies, and initiatives that need support to produce the best possible transportation network in terms of safety, connectivity, and economic growth.
It lists many specific projects but by no means is it intended to be a comprehensive list. It includes projects such as the I-75/I-475 systems interchange upgrade (Jeep split) in central Toledo and related improvements to local arterials, the pedestrian facilities planned on the Wooster Street crossing of I-75 in Bowling Green, dredging of the Toledo harbor, runway improvements at the region’s airports, and support for passenger and freight rail projects.
Several high priority projects of the past such as the Veterans’ Glass City Skyway Bridge or rail-roadway grade separations such as Hallet Avenue in Swanton have become a reality in part because they were advanced in earlier versions of the Legislative Agenda.
TBJ: Can you discuss issues involving the funding model for highway construction?
CD: The way we fund transportation no longer works.
We rely primarily on revenue generated by fuel taxes to pay for transportation. First, the federal gas tax was last adjusted in 1993, and because it isn’t indexed to inflation it hasn’t changed since. Second, as vehicles become more and more fuel efficient there is less revenue being generated per mile driven. So we have a declining revenue problem.
On the other side of the equation is the reality that many parts of our network are aging and in need of repair and the result is a growing gap between our resources and our ability to provide safer roads, better commutes, and more productive communities.
We need a new funding model. In fact, our current federal legislation just passed last summer includes a transfer of monies from the general revenue fund to make up the shortfall. We know we cannot rely on this in the future.
While fuel taxes might continue to be a part of the solution, we need to develop other funding mechanisms such as mileage-based user fees, expanded use of transportation improvement districts, low cost credit programs, and tolling options to name a few. The longer we defer maintenance and improvements the more they cost.
TBJ: How have the logistics capabilities in our region impacted the growth of large distribution centers in the area?
CD: There is a cluster of large distribution centers that have chosen to locate within a 100-mile radius of Toledo because they recognize that our region is perfectly situated in terms of our geographic location in North America.
We have developed excellent highway, rail, and port facilities that build on our geographic advantage. We are an hour’s drive from Detroit-Windsor, the busiest international land border gateway in North America. We are at the intersection of I-75 and I-80/90 where the main north-south corridor in the Midwest meets one of the nation’s busiest east-west trade lanes. We have first-rate freight facilities here at the seaport and airport. The CSX and NS rail networks here are nationally significant and growing.
As we improve connections among these modes we have a real opportunity to foster even more growth in the distribution sector as well as in our transportation-dependent manufacturing sector. There is much more potential for creating new jobs thanks to our strengths in supply chain and logistics.
TBJ: Can you discuss new federal highway legislation and its potential impact?
CD: The federal bill, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century, MAP-21, as it is known, will expire in September 2014. This means our lawmakers will need to begin negotiations very soon on the next federal bill. Transportation projects frequently require lengthy planning timelines.
The members of the transportation coalition want to see a longer-term bill that provides greater predictability. We especially want to avoid the repeated extensions and uncertainty we’ve seen in the past. We want to see a new bill that addresses the funding crisis. In the meantime we are implementing the goals and provisions of MAP-21.
At the State level, Ohio is currently developing and debating its biennial budgets for the State and the Department of Transportation. In addition, decisions at county, township, and municipal levels are also critical to providing safe travel, fostering commerce, and enhancing quality of life. For elected officials at every level and the appointed professionals who work with them our transportation agenda outlines our regional priorities and suggests solutions to the funding crisis.
TBJ: Are there any other issues you would like to address?
CD: This transportation legislative agenda is just one tool in the toolkit, but it is important because it signals cooperation and a business-friendly environment.
Not every region has a coalition such as we have here in the Toledo region. In fact most regions don’t because it can be very difficult to achieve consensus across such a diverse set of organizations.
All the credit goes to our members who realize that we aren’t competing against each other. Instead we are in this together, competing against other regions in North America and the world. This level of cooperation really sets us apart as a great place to locate, live, and do business.
We encourage people in the region to look through the agenda posted on the TMACOG website at www.tmacog.org and become involved in the discussion about our priorities.