The United States federal Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) is a federal transportation bill enacted June 9, 1998, as and. TEA-21 authorized federal surface transportation programs for highways, highway safety, and transit for a 6-year period from 1998 to 2003. Because Congress could not agree on funding levels, the Act, which had continued past 2003 by means of temporary extensions, was allowed to lapse.

History

The bill was introduced in the House by Bud Shuster (R–PA) on September 4, 1997. The transportation equity act requires that seven planning factors be included in regional transportation plans. The plans must: Factor 4 was amended by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA-LU) in 2005 and reads: "protect and enhance the environment, promote energy conservation, improve the quality of life, and promote consistency between transportation improvements and State and local planned growth and economic development patterns". Section 1211(d) prevents the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) from requiring state departments of transportation to use the metric system. This has had the effect of delaying metrication in the United States with respect to road construction, though some states had already completely converted.

Funding programs