Federal Funding of Transportation Improvements in BRAC Cases Special Report 302 (2011) / Chapter Skim
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5 Findings and Recommendations
5 Findings and Recommendations
Pages 81-96
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From page 81... ...
In the last three years, the nation has experienced the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, which has had direct consequences for federal, state, and local transportation budgets. The BRAC 2005 consequences for communities located near military bases are occurring when these governments are unusually strapped for funds.
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From page 82... ...
The requirements of the military mission and the needs of the surrounding communities must be taken into account when developing strategies to improve the transportation system. Finding 1 Increased highway traffic generated by base growth due to BRAC 2005, policies to grow the size of the military services, and rapid redeployments have worsened or will worsen traffic congestion in some metropolitan areas.
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From page 83... ...
Longer and more arduous commutes risk loss of retention of senior, highly skilled civilian workers. Military personnel face severe congestion accessing Joint Base Lewis–McChord every day.
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From page 84... ...
These difficulties are compounded by several other issues: • DoD policies and guidance regarding base–community collabo ration and regional planning are inadequate. The required base master plans do not regularly relate to the regional plans of the surrounding communities, nor do they anticipate largescale troop relocations.
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From page 85... ...
In the future, these master plans should be developed in cooperation with the MPO planning process so that projects to improve base transportation access can be included in MPO's long range plans and shorterterm transportation improvement programs. Base master plans should include not only capital costs but also operating costs for transit service and travel demand measures.
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From page 86... ...
OEA should develop technical procedures, manuals, training courses, and website resources as well as provide technical assistance to military bases on transportation planning. Finding 4 There is an additional disconnect within the military between planning and budgeting processes.
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From page 87... ...
The information should account for the capabilities of surrounding communities to absorb additional traffic and the costs imposed. These costs should be considered whenever DoD analyzes the costs and benefits of relocating personnel and assets to bases in metropolitan areas.
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From page 88... ...
Moreover, requirements of the Clean Air Act have shifted many areas' priori ties toward transit and travel demand management. In areas with saturated networks in peak periods, travel demand must be managed to motivate travelers to shift travel times and change modes to avoid peak congestion.
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From page 89... ...
Finding 10 A variety of funds are available to improve transportation facilities and services; these funds are always highly contested but are unusually so in the current budget environment. The DAR program has provided about $20 million annually in recent years, but the program is funded through the military construction (MILCON)
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From page 90... ...
As indicated above, in some cases military personnel are adversely affected through the potential consequences for retention of valued workers and disruption of training for soldiers. The normal way to address the impact of largescale private developments in communities is to require them to pay some form of an impact fee in addition to the fuel and other taxes they pay.
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From page 91... ...
To determine the military share, a transportation impact study would be required to determine the transportation improvements needed to meet the increased travel demand resulting from increased personnel at military bases. It would ascertain the share of that demand resulting from military travel and from other traffic.
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From page 92... ...
The DAR program eligibility criterion of a doubling of traffic due to military demand is not appropri ate in metropolitan areas with already congested facilities. Moreover, as the only DoD transportation capital program to address offbase impacts, the limitation of funding to road improvements does not reflect metro politan areas' dependence on transit for serving a proportion of work trips in peak periods.
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From page 93... ...
Finding 13 Personnel increases at military bases benefit surrounding communities. Increases in base personnel provide an economic stimulus for surrounding communities.
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From page 94... ...
Waiting for projects to address these problems to be funded through the normal transportation cycle, given continued delays in reauthorizing federal surface transportation programs and the much diminished size of state transportation budgets, means that severe congestion problems around growing military bases could go unaddressed for years. The committee cannot estimate the amount of financial assistance needed in affected areas and recognizes that virtually no amount of money will result in freeflow traffic conditions; however, some improve ments are possible.
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From page 95... ...
Both operating and capital funds for construc tion of facilities as well as support for increased transit services and travel demand measures should be included. Thus, the projects to be funded should be those that • Are capable of being initiated within 1 year and can be completed within 3 years, • Will have demonstrable benefits on reducing traffic congestion in adversely affected corridors regardless of mode, and • Are partially funded from local or state funds.
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