Skip to main content

Transport investment bill plea in open letter to US Congress

A partnership of American road and transport-minded bodies and individuals has delivered an open letter to Congress urging the approval of the multi-year surface transport investment bill. More than 1,000 entities signed the letter from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce-led Americans for Transportation Mobility (ATM) coalition.
March 15, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
RSSA partnership of American road and transport-minded bodies and individuals has delivered an open letter to Congress urging the approval of the multi-year surface transport investment bill. More than 1,000 entities signed the letter from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce-led 3952 Americans for Transportation Mobility (ATM) coalition. The ATM’s delivery of the letter, on Wednesday, 25 January, marked the launch of the new ARTBA and ATM advertising and grassroots campaign, 'Make Transportation Job #1,' stressing the need for what it believes is a long overdue piece of legislation.

The current highway and transit authorisation law, known as SAFETEA-LU, expired nearly 850 days ago. The programmes have been operating under a series of short-term funding extensions since October 1, 2009, and the current one ends on March 31 2012.

“Our message to the Congress is simple: ‘It’s time to do your job,” said ARTBA president Pete Ruane. “Pass a properly-funded surface transportation bill to kick-start the economy and get America moving again.”

The ARTBA and ATM coalition is running a six-digit figure ad campaign in Washington and key states and districts around the country over the month of February, including television, radio and on-line ads. The ‘Make Transportation Job #1’ campaign will also include a radio tour and a grassroots initiative during the congressional recess.

ARTBA is supporting the activities of ATM through its ‘Transportation Makes America Work’ (TMAW) campaign, a long-term communications and advocacy programme aimed at building public and political support for new transportation investments. Under TMAW, the association will soon broadcast a television advert featuring transport-related speech excerpts from former Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, while calling on members of Congress to work together to complete action on the bill. The ATM is a nationwide effort by business, labour, transport groups and concerned citizens to advocate for improved and increased investment in the nation’s surface transportation infrastructure.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • The UK is working with Jamaica to drive down its road deaths
    April 11, 2013
    A new partnership between Jamaica and the UK is intended to reduce road deaths in the Caribbean country. This novel agreement on improving road safety forms part of international twinning programme. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the International Transport Forum (ITF) at the OECD are joining forces for this twinning initiative. Under the programme Jamaica and the UK will promote the implementation of best practices in road safety data collection. The goal of the twinning is to help Jamaica a
  • Road user charging, the way to highway investment?
    February 27, 2012
    Tough political decisions have to be made to ensure highway investment - *Dr Max Lay reports
  • Road user charging, the way to highway investment?
    April 12, 2012
    Tough political decisions have to be made to ensure highway investment - *Dr Max Lay reports Our road systems and how we use them have changed dramatically over the last few centuries, and yet some problems persist and others reappear. For most of human history roads have been used by foot traffic and by cumbersome wagons hauled at walking pace. Roads were built to provide some obvious advantage in commerce or conquest. They were then grudgingly maintained by those who might gain some advantage from the
  • ARTBA's winners
    November 27, 2012
    The American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) has announced the winners of its annual student video contest. A group of 18 high school students from North Carolina and three graduate and post-graduate students from New England were named winners. Sponsored by ARTBA’s Research and Education Division (RED), the contest challenges grade school and post-secondary students to develop a brief video that explores issues relating to America’s transportation network. Students were asked to addres