“In the stimulus, the $34 billion we were allocated for highway and transit resulted in resurfacing and rebuilding 35,411 lane-miles of highway nationwide. That’s equal to ¾ of the entire state highway program. Yet that represents 4 percent of the state of good repair needs of our national highway system. Four percent!”

Listen here:

TRANSCRIPT:

Todd Zwillich: Congressman James Oberstar of Minnesota. Thanks for being with us.

Rep. James Oberstar: My privilege and pleasure to be on the program with you.

TZ: I wanted to start with some transportation issues, of course since you have had your tenure as Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. You tried to achieve an ambitious surface transportation bill. It did not come to pass. … left undone, what do you think is the most critical transportation issue facing this country?

JO: A long term authorization for the surface transportation programs of the nation: highway, bridge, transit, highway safety. And the livability issues that have become such a centerpiece for transportation over the past dozen plus years, since the end of the interstate era and the beginning of a new era for transportation. Livability is foremost in people’s minds. Passing a long-term, six year authorization would give stability to the states, to the contractor community, to building trades, labor, to the transit sector, it will result in—if we pass the $450 billion bill—six million construction jobs over the next six years. It will give states the ability to bring our existing portfolio of highway projects up to a state of good repair and go beyond with major rebuild projects such as the Brent-Spence bridge between Ohio and Kentucky, which carries 3 percent of the GDP of the nation. It would allow Oregon to complete its work on a whole stretch of bridges that were sub-standard on Interstate 5 on the West Coast.

“This is the transportation bill of the future that we need. A funding mechanism for it is essential, that’s where it foundered. President Obama said that he could not support an increase in the user fee, the gas tax, which three Republican presidents have supported: Eisenhower, President Reagan, and President George Bush the first.”

There are many other instances I can provide of major rebuild projects that are long term, create stability in the construction sector, but add to our GNP and ability to move goods and people more efficiently. This is the transportation bill of the future that we need. A funding mechanism for it is essential, that’s where it foundered. President Obama said that he could not support an increase in the user fee, the gas tax, which three Republican presidents have supported: Eisenhower, President Reagan, and President George Bush the first.

But the reluctance to move ahead with an increase in the user fee caused a stall in this legislation. We were ready to bring it out, to restructure the Department of Transportation to create an Office of Project Expediting so that we move short term projects, state of good repair, that take three years. We can do that in three months! We oughta do that.

TZ: I had a chat with Norm Mineta last week. Who has a similar vision to yours… He feels, given the fiscal condition of the nation right now, … this country is essentially going to do maintenance for the next two to four years …

JO: I think that’s a fair estimate. If you don’t do the long term authorization bill, if you don’t restructure the Department, if you don’t pass the authority to do bigger projects, then we will continue to do state of good repair.

In the stimulus the $34 billion we were allocated for highway and transit resulted in resurfacing and rebuilding 35,411 lane-miles of highway nationwide. That’s equal to ¾ of the entire state highway program. Yet that represents 4 percent of the state of good repair needs of our national highway system. Four percent! There’s a huge need in the country to make roads drivable, safer, more efficient, less wear and tear on the vehicle. But if you don’t provide the funding for the longer term authorization then only these short term very narrowly tailored projects—grinding down the surface, filling the potholes, putting a one or two inch overlay—is all that there is money to do. That’s not in the best national interest.

TZ: Now going forward republicans who are taking control of the House have pledge to avoid earmarks … can healthy transportation infrastructure survive in this country? How does it proceed without traditional earmarking?

JO: For 30 years of the interstate highway program and the primary, secondary, and rural programs there were no earmarks. There were no individual project designations. Because the funding worked well. The mechanism was functioning properly the interstate highway system was being built. As it neared its completion, the needs of the non-interstate system grew and were not being addressed by states. And citizens began appealing to their member of Congress for fixing this, that or another road or bridge. So Members say we are the ones who vote for the taxes, we’re the ones who vote for the authorization, we do 100 percent of that, the states do 20 percent and they are not addressing the needs. So we are going to designate projects that serve the needs of our constituents who have appealed to us for this help.

In the current transportation bill, I refine the process to require of  each member that neither he, nor his/her spouse has personal or family financial interest in the project, that there is a local sponsor who has expressed in writing their support for the project, and third, this local sponsor can vouch for the 20 percent non-federal match. We’ve cleaned up this process so it is open, transparent, on the web …

TZ: Except the next regime is doing away with it entirely.

JO: They’re going to do away with it entirely, that’s their problem. Let’s see if they can pass a bill.
Will the next Congress trust to the executive branch agencies to respond to the needs of their people if they want to do that. And if the state DOTs are responsive then maybe it can work. It did for a long time, but it didn’t beginning in the mid-80s.

TZ: I want to make sure I can get a Minnesota question in on transportation. Central Corridor light rail is a project you’ve championed in the past. The funding environment that is coming … can that project thrive and survive?

JO: The funds are available under existing law to finance the Central Corridor project. They need to get underway with it. The Hiawatha light rail faced the same funding questions a decade ago. It was completed. It was successful. It achieved 10 million riders nine months ahead of schedule. I think the same will be true of the central corridor project.

TZ: You are still bullish on it?

JO: I think it has to be done to relieve congestion in the Twin Cities, you cannot build more lane miles of highway in the metropolitan area, Minneapolis-St. Paul, to move people efficiently and effectively without creating more gridlock in that environment.

Hiawatha has been a relief valve. North Star Corridor going up to the St. Cloud area in Central Minnesota has also been a relief valve. The Central Corridor will be the next critical step to improving mobility of people and of goods in the metro area.

TZ: Thank you.

NJ Spotlight writes about “New Jersey’s troubled transportation outlook” and says that “a proposed subway to Secaucus and a depleted Transportation Trust Fund are only the beginning.”

And PA and NJ aren’t alone: Virginia is considering a host of options to help cover a massive shortfall in state transportation funding, including a small sales tax, tolls and the use of toll credits (Washington Post). And: Rhode Island officials are warning that “basic elements of the state’s transportation system are threatened. Officials responsible for both the highways and the transit system said a lack of money is undermining their efforts.” (Providence Journal)

Now Ontario’s transportation minister is getting into the transit fray, says it would be wasteful to scrap the $8.15 billion Toronto light rail plan because work has already started. (Toronto Star)

Rear view cameras could become more common in cars, as the Transportation Department proposes new safety rules. “There is no more tragic accident than for a parent or caregiver to back out of a garage or driveway and kill or injure an undetected child playing behind the vehicle,” says Secretary Ray LaHood. (AP)

Buffalo Bills safety Bryan Scott bikes to practice. In Buffalo. In the winter. (Well, not when it’s really snowing.) (Sports Illustrated)

Honda is ending production of the Element. (Auto Guide)

Outgoing congressman Jim Oberstar may land at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, where he’s in talks about a possible role. (AP via Minnesota Public Radio)  But first, he gave an exit interview to TN’s Todd Zwillich, which aired on today’s The Takeaway. Listen below!

Tweet of the day, from WNYC’s Azi Paybarah: “Think Rev. Billy, the eccentric 2009 candidate for #nyc mayor was just on my F train to #brooklyn. And he wasn’t yelling about term limits!”

Illinois Democratic Rep. Daniel Lipinski said he’s drawing up legislation to name a new Department of Transportation headquarters building after the outgoing Minnesota Congressman.

Lipinski joined members of the committee with words of praise for Oberstar. Comments were bi-partisan, led by incoming chair and ranking member Rep. John Mica, R-Florida.

“We are truly blessed to be able to serve the people,” Lipinski said. “And the people have been blessed to have your service for these years.”

Oberstar told committee members his service has been a long, fulfilling and productive journey.

Oberstar commended the significance of the committee’s work funding enduring infrastructure like highways and bridges.

“That our body of work, when we leave this place, will be there for our children, that it will be an enduring monument for this country, then we will have achieved our goal of serving the public,” Oberstar said.

Committee members from both sides of the aisle gave Oberstar two standing ovations and ongoing praise. Oberstar leaves office after losing his re-election bid to incoming Republican Chip Cravaack.

For audio of Oberstar’s final hearing head to our partner, MPR.

Watch this site for a Transportatio Nation interview with Oberstar to be posted soon.

From races where transit or transportation became an issue, to marquis ballot measures for new initiatives, here’s our scorecard of election 2010 in Transportation Nation:

The race: 8th Congressional District, Minnesota – Jim Oberstar Loses. The Incumbent Democrat, Chair of House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, loses to Repub. Chip Cravaack by 4,200 votes.

A champion of transportation leaves Congress. Rep. Oberstar has been in office since 1974 and was a strong advocate for transportation spending throughout. Even if he had won, he would have lost his chairmanship of the Transportation Committee when Republicans take control of the House. Still, his loss was unexpected. His farewell speech today to reporters was filled with transportation achievements highlighting his long tenure advocating for roads, rails and infrastructure. (More from MPR)

The current ranking member of the House Transportation Committee, Republican John Mica of Florida, will likely take over the Chairmanship. Like Oberstar, he has been a champion of increased transportation funding. It remains to be seen how much Mica will be able to get done, or how much he’ll stick to his consistent support for Obama’s pending $500 billion transportation bill, with a new more conservative Congress. Some changes are likely however. He told the AP Wednesday he wants to re-examine Obama’s recent $10 billion in grants for high speed rail. Mica supports HSR, he says, but not the specific projects the Dept. of Transportation has chosen for funding. Presumably he’d prefer the Northeast corridor be higher on the priority list than Florida and California.

The race: Hillsborough County, Florida Referendum – ballot initiative fails.

Transit tax won’t happen, no light rail funding source. Hillsborough county voted 58 percent to 42 percent against a one-cent sales tax devoted to transportation. The bulk of the money would have funded the county’s first light rail network, as well as rehabilitated roads and doubled the bus fleet. Supporters say they offered a good plan that was defeated because of tough economic times and plan to try again–after the economy improves. A similar measure in Polk County, Florida also failed by an even larger margin. (Read more from the St. Petersburg Times.)

Other Ballot Measures — On the small stuff, transit won however. The Center for Transportation Excellence tracked the less dramatic ballot measures before voters yesterday finding: “At a rate of 73 percent, voters across the country in 14 states approved 22  measures out of 30 state and local public transportation-related ballot initiatives, authorizing nearly $500 million over the next five years.”

The race: Maryland Governor — Incumbent Democrat Martin O’Malley wins big over Republican Bob Ehrlich.

“Purple Line” light rail plan is closer to reality. Bucking the national anti-incumbent and anti-Democrat trends, Gov. O’Mally “trounced” Former Gov. Ehrlich. Transportation was a big issue for a small part of Maryland in this race. The two candidates had conflicting plans for how to connect the D.C. suburbs to the metro area better. O’Malley wants  the proposed “Purple Line” light rail, while Erlich advocated for a bus plan. With O’Malley in the governor’s house, and with a strong voter mandate, the plan is likely to become a reality. (Read more on the “Purple Line”.)

The race: Ohio Governor — Anti-rail Republican John Kasich ousts Incumbent Democrat Ted Strickland.

Regional rail project is “dead.” During the election Kasich proposed taking $400 million in stimulus money for rails and using it for roads instead. After his victory he said of the 3C rail plan to connect Cincinnati, Cleveland and Dayton, “That train is dead. We’re not going to have it.” That’s that.

The race: Wisconsin Governor – Anti-rail Republican Scott Walker defeats Democrat Tom Barrett.

High speed rail plan in doubt. Republicans swept Wisconsin, gaining a Senate seat, both houses of State government and the governorship. During the campaign Walker and his down-ticket party members opposed the $810 million high speed rail plan to connect Madison to Milwaukee. There’s a good chance that stimulus money will now go to roads and the HSR plan will stall.

The race: Florida Governor — Anti-rail Republican Rick Scott defeats Democrat Alex Sink by a small margin.

High speed rail plan in doubt. Florida has already received over $2 billion in federal funds to construct one of the nations first true high speed rail lines between Orlando and Tampa. Scott is against funding this with any state money at all. He’s said the Federal Government should pay 100 percent of the cost. If he sticks to that stance, there may not be enough money to complete the project as planned, especially with Rep. John Mica hinting at his willingness to re-allocate rail money away from Florida. (see above)

The race: California Governor — Democrat and rail supporter Jerry Brown defeats rail opponent Meg Whitman.

The largest high speed rail project in U.S. continues. California voters supported an ambitious plan for high speed rail before when they ratified a bond for over $9 billion to fund the plan to connect L.A. with San Francisco. The rail plan was by no means central to the governor’s race, but voters still gave a second boost to the project by electing. California high speed rail activists now feel the project is in good hands.

The race: Colorado Governor — Democrat John Hickenlooper wins three-way race over Republican Dan Maes and Conservative Tom Tancredo.

A transit supporter earns a victory. In 2004, Hickenlooper championed a measure to add a 0.4 percent sales tax to fund one of the most ambitious transit expansions in the nation, adding about 150 miles of light rail and bus rapid transit to the Denver area. He has also made Denver one of the first three U.S. cities to get a bike-share. Hickenlooper didn’t win because of his transit record as much as from poor campaigning and infighting amongst his opponents. Still, if he brings the same aggressive advocacy for alternative transportation statewide as he delivered in Denver, Colorado will be a state to watch.

“In the business world when the profits of sales go down, the CEO says, well it was sales, or marketing … in this arena you look into the mirror and say, it was me. But there is nothing I would take back. “

About 6:25 into his remarks, Oberstar starts to list off all the work he is proud of, and it reads like the list of roads, bridges, tunnels and infrastructure that cover Minnesota.

“I can’t change, and I wouldn’t change any of the votes I cast this year to bring us out of the worst recession, to chart a course for the future … I wouldn’t change any of the votes I cast to bring forward the stimulus. Because the bridge over Interstate 35 at North Branch will be there long after I leave office, and long after any successor. That’s a 100 year bridge. And the bridge at County Road 17 over I-35 … that will be there long after…”

As for what this transportation legislator will do next, he says he will reflect for a while and look for something “in the public arena.”

Download the full audio as broadcast by MPR.

Read more at MPR.

The race: Maryland Governor — Repub. Bob Ehrlich,  Dem. Martin O’Malley

What’s at stake: It’s a race of rail vs bus. The two candidates each support extending some form of public transit to the area of Maryland in the Washington D.C. suburbs. O’Malley wants the proposed Purple Line while Erlich prefers a bus plan. Maryland is a deep blue state, so Ehrlich’s chances aren’t great. But O’Malley isn’t hugely popular and this is not a good year for Democrats nationwide, so an upset is always possible and the Purple Line hangs in the balance. (Read more.)

The race: 8th Congressional District, Minnesota – Incumbent Dem. Jim Oberstar, Chair of House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Repub. Chip Cravaack

What’s at stake: Congressional control. Oberstar is currently the Chair of the Congressional transportation committee. He’s in charge of the purse strings on countless transportation and infrastructure projects around the nation. He’s called for a massive transportation funding package that would be less likely to pass without a champion at the helm of transportation committee. Even if Oberstar holds on in this tighter-than-expected race, he may lose his chairmanship if Republicans take control of the House.   The ranking member of the House Transportation Committee is Republican John Mica of Florida, who, like Oberstar, has been a champion of increased transportation funding and high speed rail.  In fact, Mica and Oberstar have joined to assail the Obama administration for not making transportation spending a higher priority.

“I view this as the most critical jobs bill before Congress … we’re going to do it together, one way or another, come hell or high water,” Mica said in 2009 of the transportation bill.  But it’s unclear how Mica would hew to this agenda with a much more conservative, less spending-friendly congress. (Read more from MPR)

The race: Ohio Governor — Incumbent Dem. Ted Strickland, Repub. John Kasich

What’s at stake: High speed rail spending. Kasich has proposed repurposing the $400 million in stimulus money set aside for faster trains serving Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati, and using that money for roads. In fact, infrastructure spending overall in Ohio seems to begetting a luke warm reception even in down-ticket congressional races.

The race: Wisconsin Governor – Repub. Scott Walker, Dem. Tom Barrett

What’s at stake: Money for rail. Walker wants to take stimulus money for rail service and use it for roads. He even took a roads-over-rails stand on the airwaves in this campaign spot against a proposed Madison-to-Milwaukee rail line. Rather than build the $810 million dollar federally-funded “boondoggle,” Walker says, he’d like to “fix Wisconsin’s crumbling roads and bridges.” (Read more.)

The race: Hillsborough County, Florida Referendum – ballot initiative

What’s at stake: Transit tax. County voters will decide if they want a one cent sales tax devoted to transportation. Much of it would go to construction of light rail. This ballot initiative in a swing county in a swing state could be viewed as a bell weather for public support for transit and infrastructure spending. (Read more on voter sentiment on this tax)

The race:  Florida Governor — Repub. Rick Scott, Dem. Alex Sink

What’s at stake: High Speed Rail. Florida has already received over $2 billion in federal funds to construct one of the nations first true high speed rail lines between Orlando and Tampa. Scott is against funding this with state money. He’s said the Federal Government should pay 100 percent of the cost, a stance that could hamper progress, or reverse it. He has said  (Read, and watch more)

The race: California Governor — Repub. Meg Whitman, Dem. Jerry Brown

What’s at stake:High Speed Rail. Ambitious plans for high speed rail are already under way funded in large part—over $9 billion—with state bond money approved by voter initiative additional Federal money in the pipeline. So, its not exactly clear how much power the governor would have the fate of HSR on the West Coast. Still, Whitman has said, she the project is too expensive for the state to take on right now, while Democrat Jerry Brown sees the expense as an investment that will pay off in jobs and improved transportation infrastructure.

The race: Minnesota Governor –  Repub. Tom Emmer, Independence Party Tom Horner, Dem. Mark Dayton.

What’s at stake: Funding methods. The candidates all agree on the goals in broad strokes: not raising the state’s gas tax and expanding bus service. The question in this race is how to fund those priorities, debt, taxes, or cost cuts elsewhere. (Read more.)

The race:  Colorado Governor Dem. John Hickenlooper is in a three-way race with Repub. Dan Maes and Conservative Tom Tancredo.

What’s at stake:  Transit funding. In 2004, Hickenlooper championed a measure to add a 0.4 percent sales tax to fund one of the most ambitious transit expansions in the nation, adding about 150 miles of light rail and bus rapid transit to the Denver area.   Hickenlooper has also made Denver one of the first three U.S. cities to get a bike-share, which opponent Maes has suggested is a United Nations plot.  Tancredo is mostly known for his 2008 bid for President, where he ran on a platform of cracking down on illegal immigrants.

This year Tancredo is running on an anti-regulation, anti-tax platform, and has promised to “refuse federal dollars that come with unsustainable, long-term state spending commitments or harmful federal mandates.”

Happy voting! Not sure where you vote? Here’s how to find out.

And check back tomorrow to see how these transportation races turn out.