Introduction of the Transportation Infrastructure Improvements on Federal Lands Act of 2010

Floor Speech

* Ms. HIRONO. Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce a bill that will significantly improve traffic safety and mobility in our national parks and other public recreational lands through increased funding and expanded authorities. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, the Transportation Infrastructure Improvements on Federal Lands Act of 2010.

* Our national parks contain some of the most important and valuable historic, cultural, and natural treasures in our country. Millions of visitors flock to these parks every year. Yet safe access to and movement around these sites are compromised by severe and chronic underfunding and irrational provisions in current law.

* The state of park transportation systems is deplorable. A recent assessment by the National Park Service, NPS, found that 90 percent of the park roads are in poor or fair condition. This compares with 14 percent for major rural roads in the overall federal-aid highways system. One person is killed or injured on a park road every 4.5 hours. If the National Park System were a State, it would rank 13th highest for road fatalities and injuries among all the States.

* The NPS received $240 million in FY2010 through the Park Roads and Parkways program to build, repair, and rehabilitate roads and bridges, less than a third of what the NPS estimates it needs to provide safe and efficient access for visitors. My legislation would double the annual funding to accelerate the retirement of the growing road repair backlog now estimated at $4.9 billion.

* The poor state of park roads is not caused by insufficient funding alone. Under current law, Federal highway funds can be used for reconstruction and rehabilitation, but not for regular maintenance that would help extend the life of the roadway and preserve taxpayers' investment. Consequently, maintenance of roads and bridges is deferred until they have deteriorated to the point where they qualify for major rehabilitation or reconstruction, at far greater expense. Visitors are put at risk when they try to drive around potholes that pock our park roads. My legislation would make regular maintenance of park roads eligible for federal highway funding.

* As our national parks become increasingly crowded, alternative transportation systems are being relied upon to a much greater extent to help move visitors around. Unfortunately, that program is also severely underfunded. A third major focus of my bill would raise the annual funding level for the Federal public lands transit program from the current $24 million to $100 million, with 60 percent of it being targeted for qualified projects in national parks.

* Visitors from throughout our country and around the world are discovering the natural, cultural, and historic wonders that are embodied in our national parks. Their experience should not be diminished, and their safety certainly should not be placed at risk, while they visit our national parks. I urge you to join me in sponsoring this legislation to improve visitor safety and enjoyment of our parks through improved maintenance and management of its transportation systems.

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