PrintPrintThe push for passage of the long-delayed bill is designed to educate the public about why passing a federal transportation bill is essential to improving road conditions in states like South Carolina, said U.S. House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C.
Staff Report
Published Aug. 31, 2010
U.S. House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., unveiled in Columbia a new national campaign today aimed at getting a federal transportation bill passed, which will put people back to work, he said.
“We need to pass a transportation bill that will put people to work shoring up our aging infrastructure,” Clyburn said, during the announcement this afternoon at Sloan Construction on Rosewood Dr.
“Enacting a comprehensive transportation law will be the best boost we can give to the economy right now while we improve the safety and security of our roads and bridges.”
The new effort to push for passage of the long-delayed bill that provides federal funds to fix aging roads and unsafe bridges launched with the unveiling of new billboard and online advertisements in Columbia. The effort, which will cover dozens of states during the coming weeks, is designed to educate the public about improving road conditions in states like South Carolina and urge them to support the federal transportation bill.
“The reality is our communities can’t thrive and our businesses can’t grow if they are saddled with potholes and unsafe bridges,” said Brian Turmail, a spokesman for the two national groups sponsoring the effort, the Americans for Transportation Mobility and the Transportation Construction Coalition. “The best route to a better transportation system for our country lies in getting Congress to do its job and pass the months-late highway and transit bill.”
Turmail said that one out of every four bridges nationwide are either structurally unsound or functionally obsolete. Meanwhile poor road conditions contribute to roughly half of the nation’s highway fatalities. Aging and under-capacity roads also cost the U.S. economy more than $80 billion annually and force drivers to waste more than 2.8 billion gallons of fuel each year. He noted that nearly 80% of South Carolina's highway budget comes from the federal government.
Citing data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America showing that 5% of Columbia’s construction workers lost their jobs between July 2009 and 2010, Turmail said a new surface transportation bill would help boost local employment. Columbia wasn’t alone, with 276 out of 337 cities nationwide losing construction jobs over the past year.
The last surface transportation bill expired on Sept. 30, 2009, and since then Congress has passed a series of short-term measures to ensure states continue to receive federal transportation funds.
The effort is being backed by a range of business groups including the Americans for Transportation Mobility, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Transportation Construction Coalition.
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