America’s Moving Forward

Why understanding the highway bill matters in Alaska

ost people don’t spend much time thinking about the federal highway bill—the huge bill that sets out a plan for surface transportation and public transit spending, generally passed every five years. It sounds like something meant for policymakers and transportation wonks in Washington, D.C., not for everyday Alaskans who are simply trying to get to work, pick up groceries, or make sure supplies reach their communities. But the truth is clear: the highway bill quietly shapes almost every mile of road we rely on in this state, every single day.

If you’ve driven the Parks Highway in winter, followed a pilot car through a summer work zone, or counted on a shipment coming for a project, you’ve already felt its impact. You just may not have known it.

This year, the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America launched a new national education effort called “America’s Moving Forward.” The campaign is designed to help people understand what the highway bill actually does and why passing a new one—on time—matters to communities across the country. As AGC of America leaders noted in recent national remarks, the highway bill is responsible for the majority of federal investment in major highway and transit projects nationwide, and communities rely on that stability to plan multi-year work.

Before going further, let me make one thing very clear for our Alaska readers: this campaign is not the same as “Meet the Match.” Meet the Match is AGC of Alaska’s effort to secure funding for Alaska-based projects.

America’s Moving Forward, on the other hand, is about education—making sure people understand how the federal highway bill works and why predictable transportation investment at the national level matters.

There are four practical priorities at the center of the America’s Moving Forward campaign: modern, fair funding; reduced congestion costs; streamlined permitting with strong environmental protections; and safer roads supported by better data.

These aren’t abstract policy concepts. They are lived realities in Alaska.

Fair and modern funding matters in a state where long distances and heavy freight loads put unique demands on our roads. Congestion might look different here than in Texas or Georgia, but we feel its costs in the form of delays on single-lane corridors, pilot-car escorts, and the impacts of aging infrastructure on rural connectivity. Streamlined permitting matters because a delay of even a few months can push work into the next year—and in Alaska, that’s not a minor shift. That’s an entire construction season lost. And improved safety data isn’t just helpful—it’s lifesaving in a state with long stretches of highway, limited detour options, and work zones where crews and drivers share tight spaces in harsh conditions.

The America’s Moving Forward campaign is also intentionally digital-first, meeting people where they already get their information. The website, AmericaMovingForward.com, provides accessible explanations, local project examples, and tools to help the public learn more. AGC’s goal is to connect with voters in key districts across the country and help them understand the real-world stakes before Congress renews the federal surface transportation bill in 2026.

So, what does this mean for Alaska?

It means we have a role to play in helping people understand the value of reliable federal investment. We can tell the stories that make the highway bill real: the family waiting for a washed-out bridge to reopen; the contractor bracing for a delivery delay that could push a project into winter; the rural community relying on a single corridor to stay connected. These are the examples that make the highway bill more than legislation—they make it part of daily Alaskan life.

And here’s where the call to action comes in: We don’t need Alaskans to become policy experts.

We simply need them to understand what’s at stake and share that understanding with others. The more people recognize the connection between a stable highway bill and the quality of their daily travel, the stronger our collective voice becomes. And as AGC’s national remarks emphasize, when constituents understand the benefits of long-term transportation investment, their elected officials are more likely to prioritize it.

As America moves forward, Alaska must move forward with it. And that begins with understanding the foundation beneath our wheels.