Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act

The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 is a United States federal law that posed a major change to transportation planning and policy, as the first U.S. federal legislation on the subject in the post-Interstate Highway System era.
The act was signed into law on December 18, 1991, by President George H. W. Bush and codified as and. The bill was preceded by the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act in 1987 and followed by the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century in 1998, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users in 2005, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act in 2012, the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act in 2015, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021.

Objective

The act presented an overall intermodal approach to highway and transit funding with collaborative planning requirements, giving significant additional powers to metropolitan planning organizations.
ISTEA also provided funds for the conversion of dormant railroad corridors into rail trails; the first rail trail to be funded was the Cedar Lake Regional Rail Trail, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

High priority corridors

Section 1105 of the act also defines a number of High Priority Corridors, to be part of the National Highway System. After various amendments in subsequent transportation bills and other legislation, this is a list of the corridors:

Corridor #	Name	Location	Notes
1 (NHS)\|1]	North-South Corridor	Kansas City, Missouri to Shreveport, Louisiana	Interstate 49
2 (NHS)\|2]	Avenue of the Saints Corridor	St. Louis, Missouri to St. Paul, Minnesota	-
3 (NHS)\|3]	East-West Transamerica Corridor	Hampton Roads, Virginia to southern Kansas	Interstate 66 (Kansas–Kentucky) Project officially cancelled on August 6, 2015
4 (NHS)\|4]	Hoosier Heartland Industrial Corridor	Lafayette, Indiana to Toledo, Ohio	-
5 (NHS)\|5]	I-73/74 North-South Corridor	Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to Cincinnati, Ohio, Detroit, Michigan and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan	-
6	United States Route 80 Corridor	Meridian, Mississippi to Savannah, Georgia	-
7	East-West Corridor	Memphis, Tennessee to Atlanta, Georgia and Chattanooga, Tennessee	Partially complete. Interstate 565 from Decatur, Alabama to Huntsville, Alabama.
8	Highway 412 East-West Corridor	Tulsa, Oklahoma to Nashville, Tennessee	-
9 (NHS)\|9]	United States Route 220 and the Appalachian Thruway Corridor	Bedford, Pennsylvania to Corning, New York	Interstate 99
10 (NHS)\|10]	Appalachian Regional Corridor X	Fulton, Mississippi to Birmingham, Alabama	See corridor 45
11 (NHS)\|11]	Appalachian Regional Corridor V	From Interstate 55 in northern Mississippi in the west to 24 in Tennessee\|Interstate 24] in East Tennessee	Route is from Batesville, Mississippi, and via Tupelo, Mississippi, Russellville, Alabama, and Huntsville, Alabama, ending just west of Chattanooga, Tennessee See also corridor 42.
12	United States Route 25E Corridor	Corbin, Kentucky to Morristown, Tennessee	-
13	Raleigh-Norfolk Corridor	Raleigh, North Carolina to Norfolk, Virginia	Interstate 87 (North Carolina–Virginia)
14	Heartland Expressway	Denver, Colorado to Rapid City, South Dakota	-
15	Urban Highway Corridor	M-59 in Michigan	-
16	Economic Lifeline Corridor	I-15 and I-40 in California, Arizona, and Nevada	-
17	Route 29 Corridor	Greensboro, North Carolina to Washington, D.C.	-
18		Port Huron, Michigan to Chicago, Illinois, Corpus Christi, Texas and Victoria, Texas	Interstate 69
19	United States Route 395 Corridor	Canada–US border to Reno, Nevada	-
20 (NHS)\|20]	United States Route 59 Corridor	Laredo, Texas to Texarkana, Texas	Interstate 69
21	United States Route 219 Corridor	Buffalo, New York to Interstate 80	-
22	Alameda Transportation Corridor	Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to Interstate 10
23	Interstate Route 35 Corridor	Laredo, Texas to Duluth, Minnesota and the Canada–US border	-
24	Dalton Highway	Deadhorse, Alaska to Fairbanks, Alaska	-
25	State Route 168	Great Bridge, Virginia Bypass to the North Carolina state line	-
26 (NHS)\|26]	CANAMEX Corridor	Nogales, Arizona to the Canada–US border	Interstate 11 and Interstate 15
27	Camino Real Corridor	El Paso, Texas to the Canada–US border	-
28 (NHS)\|28]	Birmingham Northern Beltline	Birmingham, Alabama	Appalachian Highway Development System Corridor X-1
29	Coalfields Expressway	Beckley, West Virginia to Pound, Virginia	-
30	Interstate Route 5	California, Oregon and Washington	-
31	Mon–Fayette Expressway and Southern Beltway	Pennsylvania and West Virginia	-
32	Wisconsin Development Corridor	Dubuque, Iowa to Eau Claire, Wisconsin	Consists of three different corridors in the state of Wisconsin
33	Capital Gateway Corridor	Washington, D.C. to the Baltimore-Washington Parkway in Maryland	U.S. Route 50
34	Alameda Corridor-East and Southwest Passage	Los Angeles, California">port of Los Angeles">Los Angeles, California to Barstow, California and Coachella, California, and San Bernardino, California to Arizona
35	Everett-Tacoma FAST Corridor	Everett, Washington to Tacoma, Washington	-
36 (NHS)\|36]	NY-17	Harriman, New York to I-90 in Pennsylvania	ISTEA mandates that route be Interstate 86
37	United States Route 90	Lafayette, Louisiana to New Orleans, Louisiana	Interstate 49
38 (NHS)\|38]	Ports to Plains Corridor	Laredo, Texas to Denver, Colorado	Interstate 27
39 (NHS)\|39]	United States Route 63	Marked Tree, Arkansas to Interstate 55	Interstate 555
40 (NHS)\|40]	Greensboro Corridor	Danville, Virginia to Greensboro, North Carolina	Interstate 785
41 (NHS)\|41]	Falls-to-Falls Corridor	International Falls, Minnesota to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin	-
V (Appalachian Development Highway System)\|42]		Batesville to Fulton, Mississippi	formed from portions of ADHS corridors V and X; law designates highway as a future Interstate highway
43	United States Route 95 Corridor	Eastport, Idaho to Oregon	-
44	Louisiana Highway 1 Corridor	Grand Isle, Louisiana to U.S. Route 90	-
45	United States Route 78 Corridor	Memphis, Tennessee to Birmingham, Alabama	Interstate 22
46	Interstate Route 710	Long Beach, California to California State Route 60	-
47	Interstate Route 87	Quebec to New York City	-
48	Route 50 High Plains Corridor	Newton, Kansas to Pueblo, Colorado	-
49	Atlantic Commerce Corridor	Jacksonville, Florida to Miami, Florida	-
50	East-West Corridor	Watertown, New York to Calais, Maine	-
51	SPIRIT Corridor	El Paso, Texas to Wichita, Kansas	-
52		Swifton, Arkansas to Jonesboro, Arkansas	-
53	United States Highway Route 6	Interstate 70 to Interstate 15	-
54	California Farm-to-Market Corridor	south of Bakersfield, California to Sacramento, California	California State Route 99
55		Dallas, Texas to Memphis, Tennessee	-
56 (NHS)\|56]	La Entrada al Pacifico Corridor	Lamesa, Texas to Presidio, Texas	-
57	United States Route 41 corridor	Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Green Bay, Wisconsin	Interstate 41
58 (NHS)\|58]	Theodore Roosevelt Expressway	Rapid City, South Dakota to Raymond, Montana	-
59	Central North American Trade Corridor	border between North Dakota and South Dakota to the Canada–US border	-
60	Providence Beltline Corridor	Hope Valley, Rhode Island to Massachusetts	-
61		various corridors in Missouri	-
62	Georgia Developmental Highway System Corridors	various corridors in Georgia	-
63	Liberty Corridor	various corridors in northern New Jersey	-
64		various corridors in southern New Jersey	-
65 (NHS)\|65]	Interstate Route 95 Corridor	Connecticut	-
66	Interstate Route 91 Corridor	Connecticut	-
67	Fairbanks-Yukon International Corridor	Canada–US border to Fairbanks, Alaska	-
68	Intermountain West Corridor and Washoe County Corridor	Las Vegas, Nevada to Reno, Nevada	Interstate 11 and 80 in Nevada\|Interstate 80]
69	Cross Valley Connector	Interstate 5 to State Route 14, Santa Clarita Valley, California	-
70	Economic Lifeline corridor	I-15, I-40 and other roads in California, Arizona and Nevada	-
71	High Desert Corridor	Los Angeles, California to Las Vegas, Nevada	Brightline West via Interstate 15
72 (NHS)\|72]	North-South corridor	Kansas City, Missouri to Shreveport, Louisiana	Interstate 49
73	Louisiana Highway corridor	Grand Isle, Louisiana to U.S. Route 90	-
74		Lafayette, Louisiana to New Orleans, Louisiana	Interstate 49
75	Louisiana 28 corridor	Fort Polk, Louisiana to Alexandria, Louisiana	-
76		Toledo, Ohio to Cincinnati, Ohio	-
77		Indiana to Toledo, Ohio	-
78 (NHS)\|78]		Cincinnati, Ohio to Cleveland, Ohio	-
79 (NHS)\|79]	Interstate Route 376	Monroeville, Pennsylvania to Sharon, Pennsylvania	-
80	Intercounty Connector	Interstate 270 to Interstate 95/U.S. Route 1 in Maryland	-
81	Interstate 795	Goldsboro, North Carolina to Interstate 40 west of Faison, North Carolina	-
82	U.S. Route 70	U.S. 70 from Interstate 40 at Garner, North Carolina to the port of Morehead City, North Carolina	law designates highway as a future Interstate highway. Assigned Interstate 42 by AASHTO
83	Sonoran Corridor (State Rte. 410)	A new highway from Interstate 19 to Interstate 10 south of Tucson International Airport, Arizona	law designates highway as a future Interstate highway
84	Central Texas Corridor	Two routes from Interstate 10 and Interstate 20, joining in Brady and continuing east to the Sabine River, passing in or near Fort Hood; College Station; Huntsville; and Livingston; all in Texas Also designates spurs from I-14 North in Eden to I-10 near Junction following U.S. 83, from I-14 in Woodville to I-10 in Beaumont via U.S. 69, from I-14 in Jasper to I-10 in Beaumont via U.S. 96, and from I-20 in Odessa to I-10 in Pecos County via U.S. 385, RM 305, and U.S. 190.	FAST mandates that route be Interstate 14; IIJA designates Bryan–College Station loop as Interstate 214, the spur from Brady to I-10 as Interstate 14 South, and the spur from Brady to I-20 as Interstate 14 North. Routes in paragraphs D–G are designated as future Interstate highways See also corridors 93 and 99–102
85	Interstate 81	From Interstate 86 to the Canada–United States border	-
86	Interstate 70 from Salt Lake City, Utah to Denver, Colorado	Utah and Colorado	-
87	Newberg-Dundee Bypass route	From Newberg, Oregon to Dayton, Oregon
88	Interstate 205	Interstate 205 in Oregon	-
89	I-57 Corridor Extension	Extending Interstate 57 from its southern terminus at I-55 in southeastern Missouri to I-40 in North Little Rock, Arkansas	ISTEA mandates that route be Interstate 57
90	Pennyrile Parkway	From Interstate 69 near Nortonville, Kentucky in the north, to Interstate 24 south of Hopkinsville, Kentucky	ISTEA mandates that route be Interstate 169
91	Western Kentucky Parkway	The portion of the Western Kentucky Parkway between Interstate 69 in the west to Interstate 165 in the east	ISTEA mandates that route be Interstate 569
92		U.S. 421 from I-85 in Greensboro to I-95 in Dunn, North Carolina	IIJA designates as future Interstate highway
93	South Mississippi Corridor	U.S. 84 from Natchez to Laurel, Mississippi, I-59 from Laurel to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and U.S. 49 and MS 601 from Hattiesburg to Gulfport, Mississippi	Largely identical to Central Mississippi Corridor. IIJA designates the U.S. 84 and I-59 portions as a future Interstate highway ; see also Corridor 94
94	Kosciusko to Gulf Coast Corridor	Starting at I-55 near Vaiden, Mississippi, running south and passing east of the vicinity of the Jackson Urbanized Area, connecting to U.S. 49 north of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and generally following U.S. 49 to I-10 near Gulfport, Mississippi.	Overlaps with corridors 93 and 100 south of Hattiesburg; IIJA designates as future Interstate highway
95	Interstate 22 Spur	U.S. 45 from I-22 in Tupelo south to near Shannon, Mississippi.	IIJA designates as future Interstate highway
96		U.S. 412 from I-35 in Noble County, Oklahoma via Tulsa, to its intersection with I-49 in Springdale, Arkansas	IIJA designates as future Interstate highway
97	Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Expressway	Cumberland Parkway from I-65 in Barren County to U.S. 27 in Somerset, Kentucky	Part of the cancelled East-West Transamerica Corridor route ; IIJA mandates this route be Interstate 365
98		MS 7 from I-55 in Grenada via Oxford to I-22 in Holly Springs, Mississippi
99	Central Louisiana Corridor	From the Sabine River, follows LA 8 and LA 28 to Alexandria, continuing east to join U.S. 84 and cross the Mississippi River near Natchez, Mississippi	IIJA mandates this route be Interstate 14 See corridors 84, 93, and 100–102
100	Central Mississippi Corridor	U.S. 84 east from Natchez to Laurel, Mississippi, then follows I-59 northeast through Meridian to the Mississippi–Alabama state line near Cuba, Alabama; also includes a spur following I-59 south to Hattiesburg, then U.S. 49 and proposed MS 601 to Gulfport	IIJA mandates the route from Natchez to the Alabama state line be Interstate 14 See corridors 84, 93, 99, and 101–102
101	Middle Alabama Corridor	U.S. 80 east from I-20/59 near Cuba to Montgomery, then follows the partially-completed Montgomery Outer Loop to I-85, continuing east from Tuskegee via either U.S. 80 or I-85 and U.S. 280 to the Alabama–Georgia border in Phenix City	IIJA mandates this route be Interstate 14 See corridors 84, 93, 99–100, and 102
102	Middle Georgia Corridor	Fall Line Freeway from Columbus via Warner Robins and Macon to Augusta, Georgia	IIJA mandates this route be Interstate 14 See corridors 84, 93, and 99–101

High-speed rail corridors

The legislation also called for the designation of up to five high-speed rail corridors. The options were studied for several months, and announced in October 1992. The first four were announced by United States Secretary of Transportation Andrew Card, while the last was announced by Federal Railroad Administration head Gil Carmichael.

October 15, 1992: The Midwest high-speed rail corridor with three links from Chicago, Illinois to Detroit, Michigan, St. Louis, Missouri, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
October 16, 1992: The Florida high-speed rail corridor linking Miami with Orlando and Tampa.
October 19, 1992: The California high-speed rail corridor linking San Diego and Los Angeles with the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento via the San Joaquin Valley.
October 20, 1992: The Southeast [High Speed Rail Corridor|Southeast high-speed rail corridor] connecting Charlotte, North Carolina, Richmond, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
October 20, 1992: The Pacific Northwest high-speed rail corridor linking Eugene and Portland, Oregon with Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

There was not significant funding attached to these announcements: $30 million had been allocated to several states by 1997 to improve grade crossings, but that was a very tiny amount in comparison to the billions required for a true high-speed network. Aside from a few places in California and the Chicago–Detroit Line, most areas outside the Northeast Corridor continued to be limited to until $8 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was distributed in January 2010.
Jeff Morales one of the principal drafters of this bill, served as CEO of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, which is currently constructing a high-speed rail line along the route originally proposed in this bill, from 2012 to 2017.

Airbags

The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 also mandated that passenger automobiles and light trucks built after September 1, 1998, to have airbags installed as standard equipment for the driver and the right front passenger.