§5501 National Intermodal Transportation System Policy

Summary

The United States must create a single, connected transportation system that is affordable, protects the environment, helps the nation compete globally, and moves people and goods using less energy. That system will link all kinds of travel, now and in the future, and include a National Highway System (including the Dwight D. Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways and key arterial roads needed for interstate and regional commerce, defense, intermodal transfers, and border crossings). It must also make major improvements in public transit to improve air quality, save energy, boost international competitiveness, and help older adults, people with disabilities, and low‑income people in cities and rural areas get around. The system must improve access to ports and airports and focus on productivity and social benefits like less pollution and congestion. The system must be run with attention to innovation, competition, energy efficiency, growth, and accountability, and avoid the costly practices of past highway projects. New technologies (for example, intelligent vehicles and magnetic levitation) should be used when practical and economical, with safety and cost‑benefit in mind. When appropriate, funding can come from the Highway Trust Fund, and federal help can assist states and localities. The Secretary of Transportation must give every Department employee a copy of this policy and post it in all DOT offices.