A safe, reliable, efficient and sustainable transportation system is the lifeblood of this nation. It is critical to the economic prosperity of this country and to the well-being of everyone who lives here. It connects us to an increasingly global trade environment. It provides access to home, work, health care, education and other services that people and businesses depend on to survive and thrive.

But our infrastructure is aging, public investment continues to shrink, congestion on the roads and in the air continues to rise, and erratic weather patterns are wreaking havoc on the transportation system. According to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) in its “Beyond Traffic” report, the average citizen spends more than 40 hours stuck in traffic annually at a cost of $121 billion to the U.S. economy. The DOT also estimates that flight delays and congestion in our airspace cost the economy an additional $20 billion each year.

Originally published in Law360 on January 4, 2017.