In a move to get a bill passed before the September 30 cut-off date of the nation’s current federal transportation programs focusing on bridge and road upkeep, new legislation is working its way through Congress designed to keep the program in place.
Advocates of the bill say it is particularly important because, as currently proposed, it will dramatically alter funding coming out of Washington, emphasizing local projects over projects traditionally spearheaded by state departments of transportation.
As introduced by Pennsylvania Republican Representative Bob Bresnahan, the Bridges and Safety Infrastructure for Community Success Act will provide continued funding for “community-selected priority transportation projects desired by communities and businesses across the country and selected in regional competitive planning processes.”
The Basics Act has won the backing of the National League of Cities, the National Association of Counties, and the National Association of County Engineers, among other groups.
In a statement, Matt Chase, executive director of the National Association of Counties, said the measure will ensure that “counties have access to federal funding for transportation infrastructure.”
The bill, which at its heart reauthorizes earlier 5-year federal surface transportation legislation, particularly focuses on rural counties.
“The Basics Act,” said Bresnahan, who is a member of House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, “puts decision-making back in the hands of local planners, the people who know their communities best.”
Currently working its way through Congress, the legislation, notes the site StreetsBlogUSA, will address “gaping loopholes that allocated 16% of federal transportation funds to regional and local governments, despite the fact that they own a whopping 75% of the nation’s roads.”
February 16, 2026
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of US Congress
