NATIONAL NEWS

AP: Transportation secretary: Stimulus created thousands of jobs, more investment needed
http://www.kdvr.com/news/sns-ap-co--jobsforum-lahood,0,3412572.story
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says the $32 billion in federal stimulus funds already spent by his agency has created thousands of jobs but that another stimulus bill is needed.  LaHood spoke Friday at a jobs forum organized by Democratic U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado. He said Congress needs to approve a $174 billion jobs bill passed by the House in December.

National Journal: Are New Transit Guidelines An Improvement?
http://transportation.nationaljournal.com/2010/01/are-new-livability-guidelines.php?rss=1
...What do you think of the new criteria that Secretary LaHood proposed? How would they improve the New Starts and Small Starts programs and how might they hurt them? What other changes would you propose making to the criteria for determining which transit projects receive federal funding?

STATE NEWS

Kansas City Star: Missouri Transportation Alliance is looking for ways to fund road improvements
http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/1690441.html
Missouri is fast running out of money for new roads.  Revenues are dwindling. Money from a voter-approved plan to redirect some sales taxes to roads is almost gone. And a federal highway plan isn’t coming soon.  Transportation funding in Missouri is expected to plummet $1 billion by 2014, leaving little money to care for our roads, let alone plan new projects such as rebuilding Interstate 70 through Kansas City.  Where do we go now?  A group of business, labor and community leaders from across Missouri — called the Missouri Transportation Alliance — is developing ideas for how we might keep the state’s roads free of potholes or relieve congested highways.

Savannah Morning News: Perdue adds fuel to the transportation-funding debate
http://savannahnow.com/news/2010-01-18/perdue-adds-fuel-transportation-funding-debate
Almost since the state's motor-fuel tax was first imposed, there have been some people calling for it to be raised.  They argue Georgia's gas tax is among the lowest in the country, and they point to the huge unmet need for transportation improvements and maintenance of the existing infrastructure. But no matter whether it was a chairman of the State Transportation Board or a chairman of the House or Senate transportation committees, the gas-tax increase never got off the starting line for political reasons.