Skip to main content

US transportation bill moves forward

The US Government is making progress with its new surface transportation bill, in a move that will be of good news to all contractors and construction firms in the country. This bill has been delayed now for two years, with a knock-on effect for the construction industry in that there have been few new works commencing. American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) president Pete Ruane has commented on the US Senate EPW Committee Mark-Up of MAP-21, the Surface Transportation Bill. Ruane said,
April 26, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
The US Government is making progress with its new surface transportation bill, in a move that will be of good news to all contractors and construction firms in the country. This bill has been delayed now for two years, with a knock-on effect for the construction industry in that there have been few new works commencing.

American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) president Pete Ruane has commented on the US Senate EPW Committee Mark-Up of MAP-21, the Surface Transportation Bill. Ruane said, “Today’s unanimous vote in the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee in support of a two-year surface transportation bill that would maintain current authorisation levels and institute a host of important policy reforms is a critical step toward beginning to address the nation’s enormous infrastructure challenges.” He continued, “It also demonstrates that bipartisanship is still a viable option in the pursuit of public policy solutions. We commend Chairman Boxer and Senators Inhofe, Baucus and Vitter for their leadership in producing the MAP-21 proposal. “As positive as today’s action is—particularly after more than two years of temporary extensions—the fundamental obstacle to a multi-year surface transportation bill remains. We urge the Senate Finance Committee to act quickly in securing the additional revenue necessary to support the bill’s transportation investments. Hundreds of thousands of American jobs are at risk until both the Senate and House complete action on a long-term highway and transit reauthorisation bill.”

Related Content

  • The US needs bridge repairs
    February 15, 2022
    The US needs many of its bridges to be repaired.
  • US bill for low emission machine upgrades
    May 4, 2012
    A new political bill put forward in the US House of Representatives could provide financial assistance to contractors looking to upgrade equipment with new low emission technology. This bipartisan bill is intended to help improve air quality around infrastructure projects and should making it easier and more cost-effective to upgrade construction equipment to meet diesel soot emissions standards.
  • ARTBA video contest winners announced
    September 11, 2023
    Students from the US states of Pennsylvania and Georgia have earned top honours in the annual ARTBA Student Transportation Video Contest.
  • IRF General Assembly elects Bill M Halkias as the new IRF president
    July 29, 2019
    Meeting in Costa Navarino (Greece) in the margins of the ASECAP Days, the General Assembly of the International Road Federation (IRF) has unanimously elected Bill M Halkias, PE, F.ASCE, F.ITE as new president of IRF. He takes over from Kiran K Kapila at the end of his third and final mandate as IRF chairman. Halkias brings to the IRF 38 years of experience in transportation and road infrastructure works gained both in the USA and in Europe. Currently managing director and CEO of Attikes Diadromes SA, the