The concept of a National Highway System (NHS) that connects populaton centers to public transportation facilities-border to border, from seaports to airports-was developed on the premise that adequate transportation is essential to economic growth. New and upgraded construction of 159,000 roads will certainly benefit the transportation industry, but the national legislative representative for the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Jason Osborne indicated "[the] mode and the structure of trans-portation is not a goal in and of itself, but rather the facilitator of other societal goals, such as economic growth and development and the redistribu-tion of economic activity."

The primary funding source for the NHS indicates that "societal goals" specifically include landscape enhancement and mitigation of multimodal transit development: the six-year, $3-billion Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) funds acquisition of scenic easements and landscaping and scenic beautification--clearly the realms of Landscape Architects. The eight other enhancement categories have potential: for instance, approximately 10% of ISTEA funds are "dedicated" to alternative transportation systems, bicycle and other trails.

LASN's question, however, is not whether or not funds have been allocated to landscape enhancement, but whether or not the enhancement projects will survive reported federal funding shortfalls?

Although the Administration proposed full funding, fiscal diversions have already left the trust fund underfunded. As of mid-1994, ABC Today reported that due to diversions, exemptions, and subsidies, appropriations have fallen short of authorizations by some $4 billion since ISTEA was passed, leaving state and local agencies who developed budgets based on full funding . . . and consultants . . . to adjust.

Nevertheless, the regional allocations of ISTEA funds and funding mechanisms flexibly designed that allow transfers between highway categories--as needed to meet state goals seem to be favoring Landscape Architects. ABC Today's report that $261 million was transferred in 1992 from highway projects to transit projects in 15 states and their May 1994 projection that as much as $500 million could be transferred to non-highway projects in 1994 are possibly bad news for highway contractors, but potentially good news for Landscape Architects.