Highway coalition says job is not over
In a letter to congressional leaders, the American Highway Users Alliance said more work needs to be done in order to fulfill the promise of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
The coalition, made up of dozens of organizations including the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, wrote to leaders in the House and Senate on Jan. 24.
“Our coalition of public and private sector stakeholders in the transportation industry first write to extend our appreciation for robust transportation infrastructure funding included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act,” the letter stated.
“With that said, we can begin to fulfill the promise of the IIJA expected by the public only when full-year appropriations for fiscal year 2022 become available – the outcome that all of the signing organizations recognize and fully and unreservedly support.”
Appropriations bill
The coalition noted that the House and Senate have yet to resolve their differences to finalize negotiations for 2022 appropriations, including for Transportation, Housing and Urban Development. As of press time, it was relying on another continuing resolution through Feb. 18.
“Without a full-year appropriations bill, we anticipate that states, local governments and public transit agencies will not be able to access the IIJA’s roughly 20% funding increase for highway formula programs and more than 30% increase for public transit formula programs, along with any new transportation initiatives, that Congress provided for in the IIJA,” the American Highway Users Alliance wrote.
The coalition is advocating for a full-year appropriations bill and says that a delay of almost six months since the beginning of the fiscal year is “unacceptable and will cause significant project disruptions.”
“Given the hard work and effort that Congress put into the IIJA, we urge you to put the much-needed infrastructure and safety investments envisioned in this bipartisan package to work as soon as possible,” the coalition wrote. LL