PHOTO: Mayor de Blasio last week led a coalition of 104 mayors in calling on Congress to pass a multi-year transportation bill. Photo Courtesy of Demetrius Freeman/Mayoral Photography Unit
They want their share of federal transportation dollars, and they want it now.
A bipartisan group of 104 mayors from across the country, led by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, are calling for the passage of legislation that will significantly increase transit, highway, and safety program commitments to cities, and provide six years of funding certainty in the transportation reauthorization that is set to expire on Friday, July 31.
In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Minority Leader Harry Reid, House Speaker John Boehner, and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi dated last Friday, the group of mayors posited that current federal commitments are insufficient to maintain the nation’s transportation network. Public transit maintenance needs, the leaders wrote, exceed $86 billion and the highway and bridge repair backlog is an estimated $808 billion. Since 2009, federal surface transportation commitments have remained stagnant.
In the city, the funds are used to support road and bridge repairs, safety improvements, Metropolitan Transportation Authority subway and bus maintenance and improvements, bus rapid transit routes, the Staten Island Ferry system, and more. More than 160 city bridges were built over a century ago; in the state, 60 percent of roads are considered in poor or mediocre condition; and the subway signal system is largely over 50 years old.
“This is not a partisan issue. Deficient bridges exist in red and blue districts all across this country. Many city and state leaders, Democrats and Republicans, are already stepping up and committing more local funds,” the mayors wrote. “However, without a strong federal partner, the twin demands of maintaining existing infrastructure and preparing for the future are beyond the means of any city.”
In closing the letter, the mayors noted, “Our nation’s urban areas house more than 80 percent of our nation’s residents, and if we are to thrive, Congress must step up and make investments in our cities, towns, and suburbs. We appreciate your action as we work together to meet the long-term transportation infrastructure needs.”
By Michael V. Cusenza
michael@theforumnewsgroup.com
