Rallies held nationwide to urge long-term infrastructure spending bill.
Local, national rallies urge Congress to approve a long-term measure
For years, a large chorus of groups representing business, labor, older adults, motorists and other constituencies has pushed Congress to enact long-term funding for transportation.
Mostly, it hasn’t succeeded. The longest term for which Congress has approved funding was two years, and 11 times since 2009 it has approved shortterm patches to keep dollars flowing to roads, bridges and public transit.
On Thursday, across the U.S., advocates attended Stand Up for Transportation rallies hoping to finally get law makers moving on along term bill. Included was an event at Wood Street Station in Downtown Pittsburgh.
“Without a robust transportation system, roads, bridges, transit, walking and biking, our economy does not work,” said Chris Sandvig, regional policy director of the Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group. “We are here today to call on Congress to do their part and follow the leadership of Pennsylvania and fund transportation.”
The national observance was sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association, which said elimination of federal transit funding would kill 43 percent of service and cost the national economy $227 billion over the next six years.
The law authorizing transportation funding expires next month and the federal Highway Trust Fund, which takes in gasoline tax revenue, is expected to run out of money later this year without congressional action. That would interrupt the flow of federal money, relied upon by Pennsylvania and other states for transportation improvements and repairs.
With the deadline looming and no consensus on how to fund a long-term bill, the best hope for advocates is an extension of the current authorization law, called MAP-21. It would mark the 12th time in six years that Congress has extended funding authorizations for short periods rather than passing new ones. Transportation officials across the U.S. have complained that the shortterm patches have hampered their ability to make long-range plans.
Also participating at Thursday’s rally were the Allegheny Development, Pittsburghers for Public Transit, Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, Bike Pittsburgh and AARP. Participants handed out fliers urging citizens to contact members of Congress to urge action.
Bill Flanagan of the Allegheny Conference said the organization recently surveyed its more than 300 members and “what we heard across the board is transportation is one of the biggest issues everybody in Western Pennsylvania is concerned about.”
Mayor Bill Peduto issued a statement in support of the event, saying increased funding is necessary to address the city’s crumbling transportation infrastructure, including roads, bridges and sidewalks.