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With the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century set to expire Feb. 29, transportation officials have kicked reauthorization efforts up a notch — before President Bush’s State of the Union address last night, CNN and Fox News aired an American Public Transportation Association-sponsored television ad designed to demonstrate how public transportation benefits individuals and communities.

But to the disappointment of APTA officials, the president didn’t include surface transportation among the top 2004 initiatives noted in his address.

"Transportation funding isn’t just a line item in the nation’s budget; rather, it’s a real investment that has been proven to benefit all Americans," said APTA President William Millar in a prepared statement.

Public transportation is estimated to generate $6 in economic activity for every dollar invested. Also, each $1 billion in funding would create 1.7 million jobs, APTA said.

The association is lobbying for increased transportation funding in the president’s fiscal-year 2005 budget, as well as $375 billion during the next six years through TEA-21 reauthorization legislation.