Reconnecting America and its partners in Mile High Connects recently released the Denver Regional Equity Atlas, which maps how current and future transit service can connect people to opportunities throughout the region.

I am pleased there is now bipartisan action on transportation reauthorization by the House that can be conferenced with the Senate. While this six-month extension does not provide the certainty of a multi-year reauthorization, it will keep our transportation network functioning at current funding levels and allow for a conference to begin with the Senate on a longer-term transportation bill. I look forward to working with the conference committee to ensure that the final version of the bill includes language to keep our existing transit systems operating and provides support for local communities to invest in new transit services, bicycle and pedestrian projects, and transit-oriented development. These items combined will offer more options for Americans in how they travel to meet their daily needs, reducing costs for families struggling with today’s high gas prices.  

Calling it a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the region,” an unprecedented local partnership of private, philanthropic and nonprofit leaders was joined by Denver Mayor Michael Hancock to outline how a smart expansion of Denver’s transit system can greatly increase access to opportunity and strengthen quality of life for all local residents, including low-income communities.

The Center for Transit-Oriented Development today released detailed comments on the Federal Transit Administration's proposed changes in the New Starts and Small Starts programs. 

In response to the Senate's passage of its transportation bill, Reconnecting America President and CEO John Robert Smith issued the following statement:

Reconnecting America's policy team has prepared a table summarizing the major changes to the evaluation criteria that the Federal Transit Administration is proposing for its project justification criteria for New Starts and Small Starts projects.

In response to the Senate's inclusion of local funding control language in its transportation bill, Reconnecting America President and CEO John Robert Smith issued the following statement:

"In the Administration's recently released budget for Fiscal Year 2013, which calls for increased investment in our nation's communities and infrastructure, there is good news for all Americans, whether they live in urban or rural areas and whether they travel by automobile, bus or rail. In particular, President Obama continued the Administration's support for alternatives to highway transportation, such as increased funding for transit systems, and new investment into expanding inter-city and high-speed passenger rail. This affords all citizens choices in how they will travel and is at the heart of the work that Reconnecting America does, connecting people to the places that matter," said John Robert Smith, President and CEO of Reconnecting America. "In addition, the Administration's proposed funding for the Sustainable Communities Partnership would allow even more places around the country to benefit from that highly successful initiative. For our country to remain competitive…