T2 Group unveiled

An alliance of regional and state government, finance, academic and private industry leaders announced the formation of a new coalition that will strive to transform the nation’s transportation system in 2009 by utilizing a combination of public and private-sector solutions.

The creation of the Transportation Transformation Group - also known as the T2 - was announced by former U.S. House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt; Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey of HNTB Companies; Texas Transportation Commissioner Ned Holmes; Dr. Joseph M. Giglio, senior academic specialist and executive professor at Northeastern University in Boston; and Washington, D.C-based pollster Thomas Riehle during a news conference at the National Press Club.

The coalition’s goals include educating Americans about the benefits of new transportation delivery options and garnering support for innovative financing techniques as a part of a diverse strategy that will meet America’s transportation needs today and in the future.

Next year the U.S. Highway Trust Fund is expected to go bankrupt. Coalition members agree the way federal transportation funding is allocated needs to change.