James RePass, president of National Corridors Initiative, a bipartisan transportation-advocacy group, noted that cities often are hit hard by a lack of focus on transportation.
"We have not renewed our infrastructure [in cities] because we built it many, many years ago," he said. "Americans are good at cutting ribbons for new highways. They are not very good at cutting ribbons for maintenance contracts."
Clinton and Obama have infrastructure plans that outline more funding for roads, bridges and Amtrak trains. Schwartz said that he was glad to see pledges for Amtrak but that, overall, the candidates' proposals are very similar.
"There's nothing that separates either of them terrifically," he said. But, he did note, "their advisers are very good."
Allison L. C. de Cerreno, director of the Wagner Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management, at New York University, said she's been disappointed in the discussion so far.
Although more infrastructure money is badly needed, C. de Cerreno said just throwing money at the existing systems isn't enough.
"What we need from the federal level is not just the same-old, same-old," she said. "Really, the vision of this is what we need."
In January, the Wagner Rudin Center at NYU held a presidential forum on transportation issues, hosted by Schwartz. Both candidates sent surrogates.
Experts said that the candidates should be talking more about the nation's overall transportation system - roads, trains, air and water - and pondering how best to invest in the future. They stressed a need for more high-speed rail, which is the most energy efficient way to move people and goods.
