"On behalf of the 5,000 public and private sector members of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association - the men and women who design, build and maintain the nation's transportation infrastructure - we commend the leaders from both parties in the House of Representatives for taking bold action July 23 to address the Highway Trust Fund's solvency. Failure to pass such legislation could have resulted in a 34 percent cut in highway and bridge funding to all 50 states on October 1, and put 486,000 American jobs at risk. That's the last thing an ailing economy needs.

"House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.), Ranking Republican John Mica (R-Fla.), and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) demonstrated unwavering leadership and built a broad, bipartisan coalition that resulted in overwhelmingly final approval of the legislation.

"It is now time for the U.S. Senate to take similar action and we encourage them to do so quickly."

Established in 1902, ARTBA represents the U.S. transportation design and construction industry before Congress, the Executive Branch, federal agencies, news media and general public.