LEGACY OF A LANDMARK: ISTEA AFTER 10 YEARS

Abstract

When the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) was signed into law, it was hailed as a turning point in the history of surface transportation in the U.S. ISTEA was seen as landmark legislation that would launch the U.S. into the post-interstate era. Instead of focusing only on highway transportation, ISTEA emphasized intermodalism--the seamless linking of highway, rail, air, and marine transport--and included several provisions designed erode barriers that had separated modes of transport in legislation and practice for many years. ISTEA transformed the relationship between the federal government and states and localities in terms of funding transportation projects, and also restructured the Federal-Aid Highway Program. This article discusses these and other accomplishments to date of the ISTEA, and also looks at the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century as a successor to the ISTEA.

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