WASHINGTON A coalition of national highway and transportation groups is calling for immediate action by Congress and the Bush Administration to address the looming multibillion dollar shortfall in the federal Highway Trust Fund.

Their call follows new estimates released by the Office of Management and Budget, showing a much larger shortfall than had been forecast by the Bush Administration less than six months ago.

When the Bush budget for fiscal 2009 was released in February, it forecast a $700 million Highway Trust Fund shortfall for the year. In its mid-session budget review released last month, the forecasted shortfall was increased to more than $4 billion.

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, which represents the state transportation departments, and others immediately called for action to address the issue.

AASHTO Executive Director John Horsley said unless action is taken there could be substantial cuts in the federal-aid highway program financed in each state through the Highway Trust Fund.

'The impact of these shortfalls will be dramatic,' said Horsley. 'If this massive deficit were to be offset by obligation limitation reductions, it would require reducing the distribution of federal funding to the states by as much as $16.5 billion in fiscal 2009.

'It takes four dollars in obligation reductions to save one dollar in spending,' according to Horsley, who added that such a reduction would mean a cut in the federal-aid highway program from a planned obligation level of $43.2 billion to $26.7 billion.

'Clearly, states cannot meet transportation demands in the face of such dramatic cuts,' said Horsley. 'We must work with the Congress to identify ways to fill these funding gaps.'

The mid-session review also increased the forecast shortfall to $9 billion in 2010 and to $15 billion in 2011. Those amounts also will require significant reductions in spending if Congress and the administration cannot agree on methods to plug the funding gap. Public transit funding will be impacted long term as well because it too is funded primarily by the Highway Trust Fund.

Meanwhile, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials has launched a Website that will present a multi-decade vision for U.S. ground transportation.

The Website, www.transportationvision.org, contains links to research, a set of reports created by AASHTO, and links to affiliated groups. Seven national organizations are partnering with AASHTO on the Web project and to push for an improved and expanded national transportation system.

Working groups convened by AASHTO have produced a series of recommendations on specific areas, including transit and intercity passenger bus, and how these systems can better meet needs for the future, and what the national highway system of the future will require to meet national needs, including a specific focus on long-distance travel, travel and tourism, and rural needs.