Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) marked Infrastructure Week today by calling on Republican House leadership to protect good paying jobs and avoid the impending expiration of the Highway and Transit Trust Fund on May 31. Until Congress acts to reauthorize the Trust Fund, 660,000 jobs and 6,000 projects are at risk of shutdown. With only six legislative days between today and the end of the month, there has been no legislation offered and no votes scheduled to extend this critical program.

“It is unacceptable that GOP House leadership has continued its strategy of brinksmanship and manufactured crises when it has come to the Highway Trust Fund,” said Tonko. “It is well past time to restore long-term certainty to workers and communities across the country and protect the hundreds of thousands of jobs this program supports.”

State, local and business leaders across the country – as well as Congressman Tonko – have been calling for a bold, long-term reauthorization of the Trust Fund for months. Last August, Tonko asked Speaker Boehner to cancel recess so the House could act on a long to-do list of issues, specifically calling for a robust, multi-year reauthorization that allows states and cities to plan for aggressive infrastructure improvements that boost public safety, put people to work, and promote business development.

Aging Infrastructure in Need of Repair:

• 54%of our major roads are rated poor or mediocre. [Department of Transportation Fact Sheet]
• One out of every fourbridges – more than 147,000 bridges – in the United States is structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. The average age of our nation’s bridges is 42.
• 45%of Americans don’t have access to transit. [Department of Transportation Fact Sheet]
• Federal land management agencies need over $11 billion to address deferred maintenance needs on our roads and bridges.
• The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) estimates that the cost of upgrading and repairing our deteriorating bridges is $106 billion.
• The American Society of Civil Engineers gave U.S. infrastructure an overall grade of D-.

Consequences of Congestion

• According to the 2013 ASCE report, 42% of America’s major urban highways remain congested. 
• Congestion costs commuters $121 billion in wasted time and fuel, or an average of $818 per commuter.
• In 2011, congestion caused urban Americans to travel 5.5 billion hours more and to purchase an extra 2.9 billion gallons of fuel.

Governor John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Chair of the National Governors Association: “To be frank, too little federal investment in infrastructure is handicapping U.S. business in global markets... What was new 65 years ago now has to be rebuilt or repaired... Governors know that you can’t build a competitive economy without the foundation provided by modernized infrastructure.” [The Fiscal Times, 1/6/15]

Governor Gary Herbert (R-UT): “If Congress does not act early this year, federal reimbursements from the Highway Trust Fund for state spending on contracted transportation projects are at risk as soon as this spring. Additionally, unless Congress reauthorizes or extends federal surface transportation laws and programs, they too will expire on May 31 of this year…The uncertainty created by these two pending events will leave jobs and economic growth at risk in all of our states.” [The Fiscal Times, 1/6/15]

Chamber of Commerce: “We are calling on Congress to pass a long-term, fully-funded bill that will, at a minimum, maintain current federal funding levels for roads, bridges, public transportation and highway safety.” [Blog Post, 4/8/15]

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