Publications and Websites

Publications

Financing Federal-Aid Highways
Overview:  Because of a continuing demand for information concerning the financing of Federal-aid highways, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) prepared a report, “Financing Federal-Aid Highways,” in January 1974 to describe the basic process involved. The report was modified and updated in July 1 976, May 1979, October 1983, November 1987, May 1992, and August 1999. These updates were prepared following enactment of new highway or surface transportation acts to reflect changes made by those acts.

Enactment of Public Law 109-59, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), has made it necessary to update the August 1999 version to incorporate the changes in financing procedures brought about by that act. As with previous versions, this report follows the financial process from inception in an authorization act to payment from the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), and includes discussion of the congressional and Federal agency actions that occur throughout.

A glossary of terms used in this report can be found in Appendix A.

FHWA Surface Transportation Reauthorization Websites

Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century  (TEA-21)
Overview:  The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century was enacted June 9, 1998 as Public Law 105-178. TEA-21 authorizes the Federal surface transportation programs for highways, highway safety, and transit for the 6-year period 1998-2003. The TEA 21 Restoration Act, enacted July 22, 1998, provided technical corrections to the original law. The material presented on this web site reflects the combined effect of these two laws and refers to this combination as TEA-21. The contents of the TEA-21 web site are organized as follows:

Reauthorizing TEA-21  (Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century)  
Overview: This site was designed to be a source of information during the reauthorization of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), which expired on September 30, 2003. TEA-21 was enacted on June 9, 1998, P.L. 105-178, and authorizes the Federal surface transportation programs for highways, highway safety, and transit for the 6-year period from 1998-2003.

The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) was enacted August 10, 2005, as Public Law 109-59. TEA-21 authorizes the Federal surface transportation programs for highways, highway safety, and transit for the 5-year period 2005-2009.