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President Obama Calls for Infrastructure Investment in State of the Union Address

While calling for a five year freeze in government spending in his State of the Union address, President Obama nevertheless also called for the need to invest in infrastructure. In discussing infrastructure he emphasized his goals of increased investment in high speed rail and high speed internet. He also called for highway and bridge investment as well calling for more private investment. The President emphasized the stimulus funds that went to infrastructure when he said, “Over the last two years, we have begun rebuilding for the 21st century, a project that has meant thousands of good jobs for the hard-hit construction industry. Tonight, I'm proposing that we redouble these efforts. We will put more Americans to work repairing crumbling roads and bridges. We will make sure this is fully paid for, attract private investment, and pick projects based on what's best for the economy, not politicians. Within 25 years, our goal is to give 80 percent of Americans access to high-speed rail, which could allow you go places in half the time it takes to travel by car." The Administration is expected to present its recommendations for transportation reauthorization as part of its budget request, which will be presented in mid-February. In an address to the U.S. Conference of Mayors earlier in the week, U.S. DOT’s undersecretary for policy laid out some of the key themes that will be included in the administration's plan. They include support for high-speed rail and the administration's livability agenda, which seeks to foster communities that have densely-built housing mixed with office, retail and entertainment development, as well as an array of transportation alternatives to driving. For more information, contact Brian Deery at (703) 837-5319 or deeryb@agc.org.