[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 42 (Wednesday, April 5, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S3158]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COMMEMORATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INTERSTATE SYSTEM
Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, as Chairman and on behalf of my colleagues
on the Environment and Public Works Committee, I urge support of this
resolution to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Interstate
System. The Committee as a whole would like to mark the momentous
achievements made over the last 50 years that have provided for
revolutionary advances in our nation's vital infrastructure. It is
essential that Congress, just as it did in 1956, recognize the
importance of continued investment in our nation's highways and the
undeniable link between a robust economy and a vibrant national
infrastructure.
Because of my work on SAFETEA-LU (Public Law 109-59) I have a better
appreciation of just how visionary the authors of the Federal-Aid
Highway Act of 1956 were when they laid out a network of interstate
highways and devised a stable and reliable funding stream to pay for
it. I am certain that at the time there were those who felt the plan
was too ambitious, too expensive and consequently not a good use of
scarce Federal dollars. I am sure all would agree that not only was it
a good use of scarce Federal dollars, but that the nation has enjoyed a
many-fold return on the expenditure.
Laying out the full interstate system--rather than a piecemeal of
road segments--along with providing a dedicated funding source
expedited construction and provided certainty. This certainty maximized
the economic and mobility benefits of the system. Businesses and
individuals knew that they could locate somewhere on the future
interstate system and be connected to rest of the country.
The second essential element of the success of the highway program
over the last 50 years has been the dependable funding stream for the
interstate. In the absence of this dedicated funding source, it is my
firm belief that investment in our nation's highways and bridges would
be far less than has been the case. Without the relative certainty of
funding and knowledge of the interstate's general location, the impacts
on productivity and economic growth would have been dramatically less
than we experienced.
The connectivity and mobility provided for both freight and people by
our interstate system is unrivaled: and I believe was more than just a
small part of the economic success enjoyed by the U.S. over the past 50
years. It is essential that we continue to make the necessary
investment to fight congestion and maintain the mobility necessary to
keep the economy growing.
I have always said that the federal government has two main
functions: national defense and to provide infrastructure. Since one of
the earliest justifications for the interstate system was to provide
for national defense, the highway program is actually a perfect merger
of the 2 most important functions of government.
For the last 50 years the gas tax has been deposited into the trust
fund and used to construct and maintain our roads. In the past, the gas
tax has been a reasonably good proxy for road use; and the trust fund
has in recent history had sufficient receipts to fund the highway
program. This is changing with the increase in fuel efficiency,
highlighted by fuel-cell vehicles coming just over the horizon, and
improved technology allows for improvements in how to collect the user
fee. It is important to look forward to how we fund the highway program
in the future because when the next highway bill is drafted, there will
be no cushion of a cash balance left in the trust fund.
The current challenges facing the highway trust fund--and hence the
highway program--will be very difficult to resolve and not unlike the
challenges faced by the authors of the 1956 act. It will be up to
policymakers to be as visionary as they were 50 years ago. A new vision
is needed in what the highway program will stand for in the next 50
years and how to pay for it.
The resolution (S. Res. 427) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
S. Res. 427
Whereas, on June 29, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower
signed into law--
(1) the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 (Public Law 84-627;
70 Stat. 374) to establish the 41,000-mile National System of
Interstate and Defense Highways, later designated as the
``Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and
Defense Highways''; and
(2) the Highway Revenue Act of 1956 (Public Law 84-627; 70
Stat. 387) to create the Highway Trust Fund;
Whereas, in 1990, the National System of Interstate and
Defense Highways was renamed the Dwight D. Eisenhower System
of Interstate and Defense Highways to recognize the role of
President Eisenhower in the creation of the Interstate
Highway System;
Whereas that web of superhighways, now spanning a total of
46,876 miles throughout the United States, has had a powerful
and positive impact on the lives of United States citizens;
Whereas the Interstate System has proven to be a vital tool
for transporting people and goods from 1 region to another
speedily and safely;
Whereas the use of the Interstate System has helped the
Nation facilitate domestic and global trade, and has allowed
the Nation to create unprecedented economic expansion and
opportunities for millions of United States citizens;
Whereas the Interstate System has enabled diverse
communities throughout the United States to come closer
together, and has allowed United States citizens to remain
connected to each other as well as to the larger world;
Whereas the Interstate System has made it easier and more
enjoyable for United States citizens to travel to long-
distance destinations and spend time with family members and
friends who live far away;
Whereas the Interstate System is a pivotal link in the
national chain of defense and emergency preparedness efforts;
Whereas the Interstate System remains 1 of the paramount
assets of the United States, as well as a symbol of human
ingenuity and freedom;
Whereas the anniversary of the Interstate System provides
United States citizens with an occasion to honor 1 of the
largest public works achievements of all time, and reflect on
how the Nation can maintain the effectiveness of the System
in the years ahead: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved that the Senate
(1) proclaims 2006 as the Golden Anniversary Year of the
Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and
Defense Highways;
(2) recognizes and celebrates the achievements of the
Federal Highway Administration, State departments of
transportation, and the highway construction industry of the
United States, including contractors, designers, engineers,
labor, materials producers, and equipment companies, for
their contributions to the quality of life of the citizens of
the United States; and
(3) encourages citizens, communities, governmental
agencies, and other organizations to promote and participate
in celebratory and educational activities that mark this
uniquely important and historic milestone.
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