House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-Minn) and Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif) held separate news conferences today to call for the inclusion of increased highway and transit funding as part of jobs legislation currently being discussed in both the House and Senate. The news conferences also included the release of an AASHTO survey of state DOTs that identified 7,497 highway projects valued at $47 billion and 2,091 transit, port, rail and other transportation projects valued at $22 billion that are "ready to go" and could be approved for award within 120 days. The American Public Transportation Association also indicated that its members identified additional projects above the AASHTO transit numbers. Senator Boxer said she is co-chairing a Senate leadership group that is putting together jobs legislation and will push for inclusion of funding at this level. Both Chairman Boxer and Chairman Oberstar quoted AGC's statistics on the dire employment situation in the construction industry with now stands at 18.7 percent with 1.6 million construction jobs lost since January 2008. President Obama will hold a "Jobs Summit" at the White House tomorrow. Former AGC President Doug Pitcock will represent the association and present information about the state of the construction economy and call for infrastructure investment as the best way to quickly create new jobs. Both Chairs also indicated that this jobs funding is being discussed separately from addressing the need to pass legislation to reauthorize surface transportation programs and provide new Highway Trust Fund revenue to support long term increased funding levels.
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