Fed share of bridge, infrastructure funding could be jeopardized if Congress fails to enact long-term reauthorization of Highway Trust Fund
Lowey: 660,000 jobs, economic growth, and public safety are at stake nationally
DOBBS FERRY, NY – May 18, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Congresswoman Nita Lowey (Westchester/Rockland), the Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Committee, today was joined by elected, labor, and business representatives to highlight how Congressional failure to enact a long-term reauthorization of the Highway Trust Fund, which is set to expire May 31, would adversely impact the Ashford Avenue Bridge construction project in Dobbs Ferry and thousands of transportation projects throughout the country.
“Making improvements to the transportation networks families and local businesses depend on every day should be common sense,” said Lowey. “Jobs, economic growth, and public safety are at stake, but, unfortunately, there’s no plan to permanently reauthorize the Highway Trust Fund, which set to expire at the end of the month. I’m urging Congress to immediately pass a long-term Highway Trust Fund reauthorization, so that federal funding for local construction projects like the Ashford Avenue Bridge is not jeopardized. As Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, I vow to fight for critical investments in our nation’s crumbling infrastructure.”
Lowey is calling for a long-term reauthorization of the Highway Trust Fund, which is the primary funding source for state, local, and national projects across the country. Failure to enact a long-term reauthorization by the end of the month means federal funds would stop flowing to states in the middle of construction season. According to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, 660,000 good paying construction jobs are at risk, and uncertainty is cast on 6,000 critical construction projects across the country.
The federal government has allocated approximately $5 million for the Ashford Avenue Bridge, which is in the final stages of contracting approval. Expiration of the Highway Trust Fund on May 31, 2015, would terminate New York’s contract authority, meaning the state could not receive the funding that has already been set aside for the bridge. Without these federal funds, local taxpayers would be on the hook for construction costs.
The Ashford Avenue Bridge goes over the Saw Mill River Parkway and New York State Thruway, connecting Dobbs Ferry to Ardsley in Westchester County. The construction project consists of removing and replacing the existing bridge deck and bearings, replacing a traffic signal, repairing and strengthening wing walls, piers, and abutments, and repainting the steel superstructure.
Local officials, business representatives, and labor leaders joined Lowey in calling for adequate transportation investments to end the perpetual cycle of uncertainty that prevents states and businesses from planning and budgeting effectively.
“The Ashford Avenue Bridge brings thousands of my and Congresswoman Lowey’s constituents between Ardsley and Dobbs Ferry every day. It is literally a concrete example of the critical infrastructure projects that will be jeopardized if Congress fails to extend the government’s ability to finance transportation projects, which expires on May 31st,” said Congressman Eliot Engel, a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “We can no longer afford to ignore the problem of our country’s crumbling infrastructure. We must enact a long-term surface transportation measure before projects are halted, jobs are lost and – most importantly – our constituents’ safety is put at risk.”
“I applaud Congresswoman Lowey’s leadership on public works projects and in meeting the needs of our community,” Assemblyman Tom Abinanti. “Improving our infrastructure not only creates a bridge from one side of the river to the other but also a bridge to a better future.”
“The Ashford Avenue Bridge is Westchester County’s poster child for crumbling infrastructure, and has been for several years,” said Westchester County Legislator Maryjane Shimsky. “I salute Congresswoman Lowey and her many colleagues who understand that this country’s economy cannot long survive without a major infusion of funds into our transportation infrastructure. I call on her less rational colleagues to do the right thing and fully fund the Highway Trust Fund forthwith.”
“The businesses that fuel our area’s economy risk becoming less competitive if our transportation infrastructure falls by the wayside,” said Westchester County Association President Marissa Brett. “Upgrading our roads and bridges improves safety, creates jobs, and boosts the customer base for local businesses, creating an attractive environment for investing in Westchester County. I’m grateful for Congresswoman Lowey’s efforts to seek a long-term reauthorization of the Highway Trust Fund.”
“We applaud Congresswoman Lowey’s efforts on this important matter for New York State,” said John Ravitz, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of The Business Council of Westchester. Providing a strong infrastructure is vital to continue to bring economic development to Westchester County.”
“First and foremost, it is essential that the Congress creates a predictable, multi-year funding program so that our New York State Department of Transportation and the MTA can plan capital improvements to maintain and improve the state’s aging and overtaxed transportation resources,” said George Drapeau, Director of Public Affairs for the Construction Industry Council of Westchester & Hudson Valley, Inc. “Major long-term highway, bridge and commuter transit projects require more than one year to design and construct. We support a six-year reauthorization of our national transportation bill along with rational formula distributions that put money where the need is.”
In addition to urging a long-term reauthorization of the Highway Trust Fund, Lowey believes that investing in roads, bridges, broadband lines, water and sewage treatment facilities, and power grids is critical to creating jobs as well as repairing aging infrastructure networks. To this end, Lowey:
Supports creating a National Infrastructure Bank, which would provide loans and bonds to finance the rehabilitation and rebuilding of critical infrastructure assets;
Helped secure federal funding to widen and repair local roads and highways like Short Clove Road in Haverstraw and the Route 120 Bridge in Chappaqua; and
Helped secure federal funding to construct and consolidate the fresh water supply for the Villages of Briarcliff Manor, Tarrytown, and Sleepy Hollow.
