The president of the Washington-based National League of Cities (NLC) says the recently released “Transportation for Tomorrow: Report of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission” correctly identifies the status of the nation’s transportation infrastructure as “a national problem that must have a national solution.” NLC President and Madison, Ala., Council Member Cynthia McCollum went on to say the federal government must be a “full partner” in transportation funding.

A well-maintained transportation system is vital to the nation, McCollum said in a statement. “Unfortunately, and for too long, the federal role in funding our transportation system has been declining, and many of the financial burdens have shifted to the states and local governments,” McCollum said. She said local governments already shoulder 35 percent of highway and transit funding nationwide. “But local governments are starting to buckle under the weight of providing the broad array of services our citizens demand with increasingly limited resources,” she said.

McCollum’s full statement is available at www.nlc.org. The commission’s full report is available at http://www.transportationfortomorrow.org/final_report/.