Editorial: ‘TEA’ for Three

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The title of the new federal highway bill is a real lulu — nearly as massive and complicated as the six-year funding package itself.

The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, or “SAFETEA-LU,” is Congress’ way of paying homage to the original highway tea party. The Intermodal Surface Transportation Equity Act of 1991 broke new ground in providing a coherent blueprint designed to enhance the “connectivity” of surface transportation.

ISTEA (“ice-tea,” as it was fondly known) begat TEA-21 (Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century), in 1998, both of which significantly raised the level of spending on roads and bridges of national — and trucking — importance. The latest TEA bill continues in that tradition. Not only does it increase construction and maintenance funding by 30%, it also tiptoes through the minefield of toll roads.

In 1991, Congress broke the taboo against placing tolls on highways that had been built with federal tax dollars. ISTEA allowed tolls to be imposed on a small number of specified interstates. Similar, though less specific, tolling was enabled in the 1998 bill.

Interestingly, the few attempts to toll existing freeways, including one in South Carolina, petered out against public resistance. But a small number of new tollways were built — where people were willing to pay to use them.

This time around, growing congestion will drive the need for additional capacity, so the newest legislation allows toll revenue to support creation of high-occupancy lanes. There is room for market forces to respond to drivers’ demands without forcing double taxation on the unwilling. This is one of the “legacies” in SAFETEA-LU.

The 1700-page bill fulfills some of trucking’s wish list, but the industry didn’t get everything it wanted. Nobody ever does.

Congress didn’t chisel into stone the recent changes to driver hours-of-service rules, but federal lawmakers did agree that streamlining the process of registering trucking operations across all 50 states would serve our industry well.

Many trucking companies have reason to celebrate the failure of some of the initial proposals, including a mandatory fuel surcharge, which would have involved the federal government in an activity best left to the market.

All in all, the new multiyear highway bill deserves a round of applause — not the least because of the two years of struggle it took to get the thing passed. And we’re happy President Bush is willing to sign it into law, even if it is more expensive than what he wanted.

This calls for a nice cup of tea.