Thirty-four of the US’ leading business, labor, transportation and travel groups called on both major party presidential candidates to include long-term, sustainable funding measures as part of their infrastructure plans and are offering to help get those plans enacted in letters sent to both campaigns this week. The various groups said that finding ways to pay for future improvements to the nation's transportation infrastructure would help boost employment levels and economic growth.
“We believe that an infrastructure package needs to include, as a foundation, additional sustainable revenue to ensure the permanent solvency of the Highway Trust Fund,” the groups said in their letter, which was sent to the Trump and Clinton campaigns. “The additional revenue sources must be long-term, reliable, dedicated and focused on the users and beneficiaries of our transportation network to support the increased investment provided under your infrastructure proposal.”
The various groups noted that the surface transportation law that was enacted at the end of 2015 failed to include measures to ensure the long-term solvency of the federal Highway Trust Fund, the source of the vast-majority of federal funding for highway, transit and other surface transportation projects in the country. They added that, as a result, many state and local transportation officials have had a hard time planning and funding transportation projects, undermining the impact of the new transportation law.
The groups signing the letter are the: US Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers, National Retail Federation, Associated General Contractors of America, America Road & Transportation Builders Association, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, AAA, US Travel Association, American Trucking Associations, International Union of Operating Engineers, Laborers’ International Union of North America, Building America's Future, Retail Industry Leaders of America, American Public Transportation Association, American Council of Engineering Companies, American Highway Users Alliance, American Iron and Steel Institute, American Public Works Association, American Society of Civil Engineers, American Moving &Storage Association, American Concrete Pavement Association, Americans for Transportation Mobility, American Concrete Pipe Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, Association of Equipment Manufacturers, American Traffic Safety Services Association, National Asphalt Pavement Association, National Association of Regional Councils, National Electrical Contractors Association, National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, National Stone Sand and Gravel Association, National Utility Contractors Association, PeopleForBikes – Business Network, The Association of Union Constructors.