ARTBA President & CEO Pete Ruane’s Statement on President Obama’s September 8 Address to Congress:
"We commend President Obama for underscoring the urgent need to improve the nation's transportation network to boost long-term economic competitiveness and create new jobs.
"It's time to move beyond the rhetoric and move forward with something much more concrete on the policy front.
"An infrastructure bank as mentioned by the President is a critical tool to advance large scale, intermodal projects, and is certainly a part of the solution. But, it will take many months to establish and have little instant impact on job creation or in fixing crumbling roads, bridges, and transit systems.
"Most immediately, Congress should pass robust, multi-year highway, transit and aviation reauthorization investment bills that have been languishing for years. They provide the best opportunity to improve the performance of our transportation network and put millions of construction workers back on the job quickly."
Established nearly 110 years ago, the American Road & Transportation Builders Association represents the U.S. transportation design and construction industry before Congress, the White House, federal agencies, news media and general public.
