Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12)
May 20, 2015
Mr. Speaker, the House voted yesterday to approve a two-month extension of the Highway Trust Fund.
I’m pleased that we were able to pass a short-term fix…..
…..but it’s time to stop kicking the can down the road.
I urge my colleagues to use the next 60 days to come up with a long-term plan to invest in our nation’s transportation infrastructure. A plan that will create jobs, strengthen U.S. competiveness and lay the groundwork for future economic growth.
I asked my staff on the Joint Economic Committee to analyze the costs of U.S. underinvestment in infrastructure.
This map tells an important part of the story.
Across the country, nearly one in four bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.
That’s scary. And it’s a matter of public safety.
Americans are taking tens of millions of trips EVERY DAY over bridges that are in need of repair.
As you can see on the map, in some states – over one-third of the bridges are failing. Here in the capital of our nation, 70% of bridges are failing.
We should fix our crumbling infrastructure as a matter of public safety, and as a matter of national pride.
To see how your state is doing, you can download the map and the raw data behind it from the JEC web site: JEC-DOT-SENATE-DOT-GOV
I urge my fellow Members of Congress to support infrastructure investment and the Highway Trust Fund.
It’s time move beyond a two-month fix and instead to work on a long-term solution to this critical problem.
