Funding and managing America's transportation systems

Abstract

America’s civilian, private sector transportation assets serve both the domestic economy and military requirements while military transportation assets serve to insure the nation’s security and national interests. The importance of transportation to the total gross domestic product (GDP) and by extension to total gross national product (GNP) can be appreciated by noting that final demand for transportation related components comprise approximately 10 percent of GDP. (1) On the darker side, it should be noted that of the recognized top ten terrorist targets in the United States, at least five are transportation assets/infrastructure.