The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act- A Legacy for Users

The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act- A Legacy for Users, also known as the SAFETEA-LU, is a funding and authorization bill that allocates federal funds towards United States surface transportation spending. SAFETEA-LU became law under President George W. Bush on August 10, 2005. Under SAFETEA-LU, $244.1 billion dollars were spent in order to improve and maintain the surface transportation infrastructure in the United States, including the interstate highway system, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority and other transit systems, bicycling and pedestrian facilities, and freight rail operations. To ensure safety, SAFETEA-LU establishes a Highway Safety Improvement Program that aims to reduce highway fatalities by requiring strategic highway planning. SAFETEA-LU also creates an Equity Bonus Program that guarantees that each State's return on its share of contributions to the Highway Trust Fund is at least 90 percent and should continue to increase. SAFETEA-LU introduces private activity bonds in order to attract private investment. The act also aims to diminish congestion in metropolitan areas like Atlanta by providing real-time traffic information to the public. Through additional finances and planning, SAFETEA-LU strives to refine freight transportation by devoting funds to the construction of safer highways and bridges and introducing new environmental programs. In addition to these programs, SAFETEA-LU also advocates for the environment by requiring large agencies to publish a plan for coordinating public and agency participation and allowing for comment during the agency’s environmental review process. This led to the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority’s creation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). According to MARTA’s 2007 Atlanta Beltline Agency Coordination Plan, the EIS was written considering transportation, land and water resources, geology and soils, visual aesthetic, air quality, noise and vibration, energy, hazardous materials, historical and archaeological resources, land use and zoning, displacements and relocations, environmental justice, utilities and public services, construction impacts, and long-term cumulative impacts.

Works Cited:

Senate- Environment and Public Works. The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act- A Legacy for Users. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Senate, 6 April 2005. Web. 10 November 2019.

DMJM Harris/JJG Joint Venture. Atlanta Beltline Agency Coordination Plan for MARTA. Atlanta: General Planning Consultant Services, August 2008. Web. 10 November 2019.