Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson calls for renewal of FAST Act, localization of federal highway dollars
WASHINGTON — In his remarks during a panel discussion Thursday, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson called on his fellow mayors to push for the renewal of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act.
Mayor Johnson is the Vice Chair for Transit for the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Transportation and Communications Standing Committee. He spoke as part of a panel — titled Managing New Transportation and Communications Technologies and Services — that also included Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Plano Mayor Harry LaRosiliere.
The FAST Act authorizes more than $44 billion each year for roads, bridges, and safety measures and about $12 billion annually for public transit. The Act is set to expire Sept. 30.
“This is perhaps the most important legislation we will work on this year, and it is critical to our cities as we plan for transit,” Mayor Johnson said.
Since taking office, Mayor Johnson has met with members of the Dallas congressional delegation and U.S. House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee staff to talk about cities’ priorities in the next surface transportation bill, including the importance of a robust transit program and the need to “localize” federal highway dollars.
In addition, the mayor has also met with leaders of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).
APTA’s leaders believe the FAST Act should allocate funding of at least $145 billion over six years to help bring America’s transit systems to a state of good repair, meet the needs of today’s commuters, and allow cities to prepare for future transportation demands. APTA is also advocating for a Mobility Innovation and Technology Initiative.
Mayor Johnson is in Washington this week for the 88th Winter Meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and other meetings with federal officials about the City’s priorities.
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