Financing Surface Transportation in the United States: Forging a Sustainable Future—Now! Summary of the Fourth International Conference

This Fourth International Conference on Transportation Finance attracted some 150 transportation finance specialists from the public and private sectors. They gathered to share the latest developments in innovative funding techniques and to explore options for securing continued revenue to support national infrastructure and mobility needs. The conference’s opening plenary session featured keynote presentations by Victor Mendez, Federal Highway Administrator, and Jane Garvey, North American Chair for Meridiam Infrastructure, who highlighted transportation priorities and future opportunities. The subsequent plenary sessions each explored a different issue, as follows: the policy dynamics of future surface transportation finance, public and political acceptance issues posed by alternative financing methods, international project finance, sustainable transportation finance, emerging issues, and creation of a research road map for the future. The conference also featured two preconference workshops describing the state of the practice for performing benefit–cost analysis and discussing emerging trends for raising capital, and several breakout sessions after each plenary session. This report is a factual summary of what occurred at the conference.