GUIDE TO TRANSPORTATION: THE ONCE AND FUTURE ISTEA

The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA), passed in 1991, was a milestone in the federal transportation program. It was an affront to the transportation status quo that existed for 35 years, and the highway interests seem determined to roll back the tide. By now, ISTEA II was expected to be getting ready for implementation, yet, instead of passing a long-term reauthorization, Congress settled on temporary legislation and will have to revisit the issue in the spring. The article looks how the competition between states and the competing versions of the reauthorization bill in the two chambers of Congress are hindering the progress.