AASHTO Joins 1,000+ Organizations in Letter to Congress Pressing for Action

With just two months remaining on the current federal highway and transit program extension, the Americans for Transportation Mobility coalition delivered Wednesday an open letter to Congress pressing for action on a multiyear reauthorization bill. The letter is signed by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials as well as more than 1,000 companies, other organizations, and chambers of commerce from all 50 states.Wednesday’s letter marked the launch of a multifaceted campaign to tell Congress to “Make Transportation Job #1” and to pass a highway and transit bill early this spring. Legislation is advancing in the House (see related story) and the Senate (see related story).

“Addressing our transportation challenges is critical to economic growth and national competitiveness,” Janet Kavinoky, vice president of Americans for Transportation Mobility, said in a statement. “Our country can’t get back on its feet economically if we can’t move people and goods efficiently.”

The eighth extension of the 2005 highway and transit authorization law known as “SAFETEA-LU” expires March 31.

“For the last six months, leaders in Washington — both Republicans and Democrats — have repeatedly stated that a surface transportation bill is an important item for the jobs agenda,” Kavinoky said. “It’s time Congress and the president follow words with action and make transportation job number one.”

The ATM coalition is launching an ad campaign in Washington and in key states and districts around the country during the month of February. It will include television, radio, and online ads. The “Make Transportation Job #1” campaign will also include a radio tour and a grassroots initiative next month. The coalition is a nationwide effort by business, labor, transportation organizations, and concerned citizens to advocate for improved and increased federal investment in the nation’s aging and overburdened transportation system.

“Our message to the Congress is simple: ‘It’s time to do your job,'” Pete Ruane, president of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, said in a statement. “Pass a properly funded surface transportation bill to kick-start the economy and get America moving again.”

Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer, D-California, called Wednesday’s letter and its massive amount of signatories “historic in its breadth and width.”

Boxer said in a statement: “Now is the time to act to save 1.8 million jobs and create up to 1 million more jobs. There is no excuse to delay further, especially when the transportation authorization expires on March 31. … I call on every senator to work across party lines to find the necessary funds to move forward on this critical jobs bill.”

One of the video ads is available at bit.ly/ARTBAvideoad. More information is available from ATM at www.fasterbettersafer.org.