TRANSPORTATION EQUITY ACT WILL HELP GEO INDUSTRY

The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) authorizes $217 billion for transportation projects over the next 6 years: approximately $173 billion for new highway construction, $41 billion for mass transit, and $3 billion for highway safety programs. The key provision requires Congress to spend nearly all of the revenue generated by the federal gasoline and diesel fuel tax on highway projects, instead of diverting these funds to other programs. As the U.S. economy keeps rolling along, there is every indication that the passage of TEA-21 can only add fuel to an already strong economy. It appears as though the real winner is the construction industry, in which geosynthetics play a strong and rapidly increasing role. The author projects double-digit growth in the use of geosynthetics in transportation-related applications over the next 6 years.