Five Years of Progress: 110 Communities Where ISTEA is Making a Difference.

Joe DiStefano & Matt Raimi

In 1991, Congress passed the intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) heralding a new era for transportation policy, reform, and prioritization.  Now, five years after its enactment and as ISTEA approaches reauthorization in 1997, we must assess the progress which the legislation has made in reforming how the deferral government approaches transportation, and transportation’s role in society.  Five Years of Progress: 110 Communities Where ISTEA is Making a Difference presents case studies to show how the legislation has successfully transformed the transportation planning and decision making process by integrating alternative modes of transportation, involving the public, and making communities more livable.  

Five Years of Progress is intended for anyone who is interested in examining the changes ISTEA has made at all levels of government and the wide range of projects funded with ISTEA dollars.  In addition to being a resource guide to generate new ideas for projects, this book provides decision makers and the public with concrete information on the breadth of projects funded under ISTEA.  By understanding the changes which ISTEA has brought about since the legislation’s enactment in 1991, we are better able to assess its value and the direction it has set for national transportation policy.  We can move forward by looking back at some of the innovative activities and projects that make our communities more livable and improve our transportation systems.