Bipartisan Panel Including DOT Secretary Foxx, Teamsters President Hoffa and Mississippi Governor Barbour to Tackle Infrastructure Issues, Announce New Funding Campaign

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Aug 31, 2015, 01:33 ET

WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Infrastructure in the United States is crumbling, and funds to fix it are disappearing. It's time to address the immediate need to fund infrastructure building, maintenance and repair.

That's the message to be presented by Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, Teamsters President Jim Hoffa and former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour at a National Press Club newsmaker press conference on September 9.

Details of the Teamsters campaign, "Let's Get America Working", launched on September 2^nd, will be discussed. The campaign was created to bring bipartisan attention to the need to fund long term infrastructure projects and to create good jobs with high wages and strong benefits.

It's clear to every commuting American that this country needs solutions to our overworked infrastructure.

Since 2008, Congress has transferred more than $62 billion from the general fund to keep the Highway Trust Fund afloat, and it has been more than a decade since Congress has passed a highway bill more than two years in duration.

According to a 2013 report by the American Society of Civil Engineers, one in nine of the nation's bridges are rated as structurally deficient, while the average age of the nation's 607,380 bridges is currently 42 years.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) estimates that to eliminate the nation's bridge backlog by 2028 would require an investment of $20.5 billion annually, while only $12.8 billion is currently being spent.

The FHWA estimates that $170 billion in capital investment would be needed for the country's major urban highways on an annual basis to significantly improve conditions and performance.

The Surface Transportation extension bill, which passed in July and enables infrastructure funding just through October, represents the most glaring example of the need for long-term planning. There are many other areas that must be addressed, such as improving the electrical grid, addressing rail maintenance, nuclear energy development, pipeline construction and more.

Contact: David Hodes, Newsmaker event host 202-596-5037 [email protected]

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SOURCE National Press Club