How Do National Transportation Priorities Influence Local Decisions?
Keynote speaker: Eric C. Peterson, President, American High Speed Rail Alliance Panelists: Tim Henkel, Mn/DOT; David Levinson, U of M; Jim McDonough, Ramsey County Commissioner; Bob McFarlin, Metropolitan Council Transportation infrastructure investments are guided by state and local government decisions. However, transportation priorities set at the national level can influence changes in direction at the state and local level, particularly if there are substantial resources attached to them. Decision-makers may choose to make investment trade-offs at the expense of other infrastructure needs in order to position themselves for additional federal funding. Eric Peterson, president of the American High Speed Rail Alliance, provided the keynote presentation, “Building Momentum for sustainable American High Speed Rail.” His comments focused on the six keys to successfully designing, building, and operating high speed rail, a priority initiative for President Obama’s Administration. During
