The nation’s top highway official is optimistic Washington can make progress on a new funding plan for transportation infrastructure in 2020. Federal Highway Administrator Nicole Nason explains the Trump Administration’s view of the on-going federal funding debate and expresses optimism negotiators can beat a September deadline, in a Hard Facts exclusive season finale conversation.Link:<a href="https://www.artba.org/2019/12/04/real-growth-for-2020-transportation-construction-market-artba-chief-economist-says/">Real Growth for 2020 Transportation Construction Market, ARTBA Chief Economist Says</a>

<description>
 &lt;p&gt;The nation’s top highway official is optimistic Washington can make progress on a new funding plan for transportation infrastructure in 2020. Federal Highway Administrator Nicole Nason explains the Trump Administration’s view of the on-going federal funding debate and expresses optimism negotiators can beat a September deadline, in a Hard Facts exclusive season finale conversation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Link:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.artba.org/2019/12/04/real-growth-for-2020-transportation-construction-market-artba-chief-economist-says/"&gt;Real Growth for 2020 Transportation Construction Market, ARTBA Chief Economist Says&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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EXCLUSIVE: FHWA Administrator Nicole Nason looks forward to working with Congress to finish a new surface reauthorization package in 2020.


EXCLUSIVE: Federal Highways Chief Bullish on 2020

Brandye Hendrickson, Deputy Director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, discusses the impact of the decision on infrastructure work, and her organization’s focus on highway safety concerns.Links:<a href="https://www.ttnews.com/articles/presidential-candidates-will-talk-infrastructure-forum">Presidential Candidates Will Talk Infrastructure at Forum</a><a href="https://www.politico.com/2020-election/candidates-views-on-the-issues/infrastructure/transportation/">Politico: Presidential Candidates’ Tracker on Transportation Issues</a><a href="https://aashtojournal.org/2019/11/22/congress-repeals-7-6b-highway-funding-rescission/">Congress Repeals $7.6B Highway Funding Rescission</a>

<description>
 &lt;p&gt;Brandye Hendrickson, Deputy Director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, discusses the impact of the decision on infrastructure work, and her organization’s focus on highway safety concerns.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Links:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.ttnews.com/articles/presidential-candidates-will-talk-infrastructure-forum"&gt;Presidential Candidates Will Talk Infrastructure at Forum&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.politico.com/2020-election/candidates-views-on-the-issues/infrastructure/transportation/"&gt;Politico: Presidential Candidates’ Tracker on Transportation Issues&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://aashtojournal.org/2019/11/22/congress-repeals-7-6b-highway-funding-rescission/"&gt;Congress Repeals $7.6B Highway Funding Rescission&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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Just in time for the holidays, Congress and the President have restored a planned $7.6 billion cut in transportation funding, boosting confidence in federal spending for projects across the United States. 



A Gift from Congress

Washington may be focused with impeachment, but there's another "I" word that also warrants our attention. That's "I" for infrastructure. Are we on the road to nowhere, or is there hope for the future of surface transportation in America? Tanya Snyder, transportation reporter for Politico Pro stops by to discuss the policy challenges ahead for regulating rapidly evolving technologies.Links:<a href="https://www.politico.com/morningtransportation/">https://www.politico.com/morningtransportation/</a><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2mVFb1clnJM4ERAQ2hEhJW?">https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2mVFb1clnJM4ERAQ2hEhJW?</a>

<description>
 &lt;p&gt;Washington may be focused with impeachment, but there's another "I" word that also warrants our attention. That's "I" for infrastructure. Are we on the road to nowhere, or is there hope for the future of surface transportation in America? Tanya Snyder, transportation reporter for Politico Pro stops by to discuss the policy challenges ahead for regulating rapidly evolving technologies.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Links:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.politico.com/morningtransportation/"&gt;https://www.politico.com/morningtransportation/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2mVFb1clnJM4ERAQ2hEhJW?"&gt;https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2mVFb1clnJM4ERAQ2hEhJW?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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Are we on the road to nowhere, or is there hope for the future of surface transportation in America? Tanya Snyder, transportation reporter for Politico Pro stops by to discuss the policy challenges ahead for regulating rapidly evolving transportation technologies.

The Road Ahead

There are 90,000 dams in the U.S. across 44 states.  Just over 1,600 of them pose potential risks, according to a recent Associated Press investigation. Risk and water levels are only rising as we see more extreme rainfall amidst intense storms that challenge the strength of our nation’s dams and levees.On this episode, we talk to Mark Ogden, technical specialist and project manager for the Association of State Dam Safety Officials about the current state of America’s aquatic infrastructure.Links:<a href="">http://damsafety.org</a><a href="">http://damfailures.org</a>

<description>
 &lt;p&gt;There are 90,000 dams in the U.S. across 44 states.  Just over 1,600 of them pose potential risks, according to a recent Associated Press investigation. Risk and water levels are only rising as we see more extreme rainfall amidst intense storms that challenge the strength of our nation’s dams and levees.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On this episode, we talk to Mark Ogden, technical specialist and project manager for the Association of State Dam Safety Officials about the current state of America’s aquatic infrastructure.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Links:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=""&gt;http://damsafety.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=""&gt;http://damfailures.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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On this episode, we talk to Mark Ogden, technical specialist and project manager for the Association of State Dam Safety Officials about the current state of America’s aquatic infrastructure.

When the Levee Breaks

It is no secret that America’s worn out interstate highway infrastructure has surpassed its intended shelf life. Our current highway system can’t keep up with increasing severe weather events and rising levels of congestion. Infrastructure investment is necessary, yet Congress still struggles to find a sustainable funding mechanism despite the astronomical cost to the economy in the event of system failure.On this episode, Neil Pedersen, Executive Director of the Transportation Research Board, shares the details of TRB’s The Future Interstate Report: 10 Big Ideas for the 21st Century.Links:<a href="http://interstate.trb.org">interstate.trb.org</a>

<description>
 &lt;p&gt;It is no secret that America’s worn out interstate highway infrastructure has surpassed its intended shelf life. Our current highway system can’t keep up with increasing severe weather events and rising levels of congestion. Infrastructure investment is necessary, yet Congress still struggles to find a sustainable funding mechanism despite the astronomical cost to the economy in the event of system failure.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On this episode, Neil Pedersen, Executive Director of the Transportation Research Board, shares the details of TRB’s The Future Interstate Report: 10 Big Ideas for the 21st Century.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Links:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://interstate.trb.org"&gt;interstate.trb.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

 </description>

On this episode, Neil Pedersen, Executive Director of the Transportation Research Board, shares the details of TRB’s The Future Interstate Report: 10 Big Ideas for the 21st Century.

The Future of the Interstate

Hard Facts is a podcast that examines the best way to pay for the nation’s transportation infrastructure. We explore money-saving tools available to planners and builders and the case for using them through interviews with members of Congress, the Administration, and industry.

Hard Facts

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