January 4, 2019 – Westchester County Director of Operations, and former New York State Commissioner of Transportation, Joan McDonald is a member of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) policy committee which recently issued a report entitled “Renewing the National Commitment to the Interstate Highway System: A Foundation for the Future.” The TRB is a subsidiary of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.
The report, which was mandated by Congress in 2015, contains a 20-year “blueprint for action,” which includes creating an “Interstate Highway System Renewal and Modernization Program” that outlines a path for the federal government to rehabilitate our highly congested and often crumbling infrastructure.
Broken into specific areas of study including: “Looming Challenges,” “An Investment Imperative,” and “Additional Recommendations” – the report provides specific action items that lawmakers can follow to help rebuild our once sterling interstate highway system.
McDonald said: “I am proud to join with my esteemed colleagues to issue this report on the importance of investing in our nation’s transportation infrastructure. This study not only points out where the current challenges exist, but also how these challenges can be addressed. The impact that climate change and demographic shifts have on our transportation systems are particularly relevant to the New York metropolitan region.”
The full report can be read by clicking on this LINK.
McDonald concluded: “Our hope is that the ideas outlined can spur real change that has a positive impact on our country’s infrastructure future.”