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Key to numbers on the map (note that final route alignments may not be exactly what is shown):
ISTEA Designations (10/92), shown in red:
1. Southeast (Washington-Raleigh-Charlotte)
2. Florida (Miami-Orlando/Tampa)
3. Midwest (Chicago-Milwaukee/Detroit/St. Louis)
4. Pacific Northwest (Eugene-Portland-Seattle-Vancouver)
5. California (San Diego-Los Angeles-Bay Area/Sacramento)
TEA-21 Designations (5/98), shown in orange:
6. Empire (New York-Albany-Buffalo)
7. Keystone (Philadelphia-Harrisburg)
8. Gulf Coast (Houston-New Orleans-Mobile/Birmingham—designated 11/98)
9. Northern New England (Boston-Portland/Montreal—designated 10/00)
10. South Central (San Antonio-Dallas/Fort Worth-Tulsa/Little Rock—designated 10/00)
11. yet to be named
Extensions to ISTEA/TEA-21 Designations, shown in green:
1. Southeast (Richmond-Newport News—1994)
3. Midwest (Milwaukee-Minneapolis/St. Paul—5/98)
1. Southeast (Charlotte-Atlanta-Macon—12/98)
1. Southeast (Raleigh-Columbia-Savannah-Jacksonville—12/98)
3. Midwest (Chicago-Indianapolis-Cincinnati—1/99)
3. Midwest (Chicago-Toledo-Cleveland—10/00)
3. Midwest (Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnati—10/00)
3. Midwest (Indianapolis-Louisville—10/00)
1. Southeast (Macon-Jesup—10/00)
8. Gulf Coast (Birmingham-Atlanta—10/00)
3. Midwest (St. Louis-Kansas City—1/01)
High Speed Rail Investment Act Designation (pending), shown in blue:
12. Northeast (Washington-New York-Boston)
Significance of Corridor Designations
The two major federal surface transportation acts of the 1990’s—ISTEA in 1991 and TEA-21 in 1998—authorized (and in some cases designated) high-speed corridors. In some cases, the acts authorized the Secretary of Transportation to make the actual designations.
Under ISTEA and TEA-21, such corridors were to have high-speed potential, with reasonable expectation of running speeds of at least 90 mph in the reasonable future. Corridors that were designated were eligible for federal funding to be used for improving or eliminating highway grade crossings (Sec. 1010 under ISTEA). In recent years, about $5 million a year under this provision has been authorized for the entire United States—which doesn’t go very far on a network of corridors that has been expanded considerably.
The High Speed Rail Investment Act (HSRIA)—which is pending—would allow Amtrak to issue $12 billion in bonds over 10 years. Interest earned on the bonds would be tax-free; states would provide a 20% match to be put into escrow to pay off the bonds later. Up to $1 billion of the total could be spent on “non-corridor” infrastructure purposes (but still with a state match). The rest would go to the corridors designated under ISTEA and TEA-21 for infrastructure development. The HSRIA designates the Northeast Corridor in addition to the others. No corridor can get more than $3 billion of the total funding.
Under HSRIA, the designations become much more meaningful than they are now, with just token grade crossing funding available. HSRIA is the best opportunity for the federal government to provide an incentive for state investment (as highways and transit enjoy) and for serious development of intercity passenger rail nationwide. Failure to enact HSRIA would be a terrible setback to state passenger rail plans across the country.
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