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

  • Showcasing global road innovation at key event
    August 27, 2019
    IRF Global R2T Conference & Exhibition to Present Winning Strategies Now in its second edition, the IRF Global R2T Conference & Exhibition has quickly established itself as the international meeting point. Leading industry innovators, researchers, and stakeholders can acquire essential engineering and business insights, and help build tomorrow’s transportation infrastructure today. A newly-released programme featuring more than 150 speakers spread across 50 policy and technical sessions offers an exc
  • 50 Years of road engineering and scientific research
    February 8, 2012
    This year one of IRF's most prominent and active members in the Southern Hemisphere celebrates its 50th Anniversary. Dave Jones looks back over ARRB's first half century of achievement
  • Event: PIARC World Road Congress in Prague
    December 19, 2022
    The theme ‘Together on the road again’ is apt given that the pandemic had “kept us apart for far too long”, notes PIARC, the Permanent International Association of Road Congresses, or World Road Association.
  • America: on the brink of better road asset management
    February 23, 2015
    It’s make or break time for highways maintenance in the United States, according to Greg Cohen, head of the American Highways Users’ Alliance, speaking at the Pavement Preservation and Recycling Summit in Paris today. What happens in the next year will make the difference between a decade of continuing crumbling road infrastructure or a renaissance in America’s highways, he told delegates attending the first day’s afternoon plenary session. All state governments must submit a road asset management plan to t