Website highlights critical infrastructure issues

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) launched a national campaign—Are We There Yet? We Can Be!—to build awareness and provide information on the critical needs of the nation’s transportation system. The campaign is designed to be a one-stop shop for current information on the condition of the country’s infrastructure, state examples of successful projects, innovative technology, and focused solutions that can be shared with the public, the media, business and community groups, and lawmakers. The website—arewethereyet.transportation.org—highlights AASHTO’s proposals for upcoming authorization of federal transportation funding that representatives of the state departments of transportation (DOTs) developed during the last year.

The campaign stresses three key points: State DOTs are accountable; their projects are community-driven; and their work is performance based—on-time, on-budget, and using the most innovative technologies. The website outlines the AASHTO authorization proposals and includes facts about America’s transportation infrastructure, as well as examples and information on issues ranging from safety and congestion to freight and transit.

In addition, AASHTO’s new television webchannel offers interviews with key members of Congress, information on issues such as the Highway Trust Fund, backgrounders, and a weekly news show devoted to transportation issues. As part of its campaign, AASHTO also plans to continue to issue a series of reports on critical elements of our infrastructure, including its annual Bottom Line report, and Rough Roads Ahead, which looks at pavement conditions and preserving the transportation system.