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ITD to provide information at
Thursday conference on transportation funding

ITD’s Division of Public Transportation will participate in a regional conference on transportation funding, land use and politics Thursday at Boise State University.

“Making Connections: A Conference on Transportation Funding, Land Use and Politics” will be begin at 8 a.m. in the Jordan Ballroom at BSU’s Student Union Building. BSU’s Public Policy Center and the Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho (COMPASS) are sponsors.

The Division of Public Transportation will sponsor a booth in the exhibit room, along with more than a half-dozen other organizations.

“The transportation system in the United States, and more specifically Idaho, is at a crossroads early in the 21st century,” according to conference material. “State and local governments are pressed to maintain existing roadways, address public safety issues, provide transit services and expand or build new roadways in the face of decreasing revenue streams and escalating construction costs.”

A welcome and report on the State of Transportation will open the conference Thursday morning. Following a break, several transportation experts will participate in a panel discussion on transportation funding and financing, moderated by Boise Mayor David Bieter.

Two other panel discussions are planned in the afternoon: “Land Use and Transportation,” from 1:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m., and “Politics and Decision Making,” from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Robert Puentes, a fellow with the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program in Washington, D.C., will deliver the closing address, “A New Transportation Agenda,” from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

His professional work focuses on an array of policies and issues related to metropolitan growth and development. Recent publications include: “One-Fifth of America: A Comprehensive Guide to America’s First Suburbs,” along with David Warren (2006), and “Taking the High Road: A Metropolitan Agenda for Transportation Reform,” with Bruce Kratz (2005).

Before joining the Brookings Institute, Puentes was the director of infrastructure programs at the Intelligent Transportation Society of America. He holds a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Virginia.

The BSU/COMMPASS conference is free and open to the public. Advance registration is requested by contacting COMPASS at 885-2558, ext. 222.