By a bipartisan vote of 65 to 34, the U.S. Senate passed a six-year surface transportation authorization. Passage of the “Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy Act” or the DRIVE Act represents a major step toward completion of a robust highway bill this fall. Co-sponsored by Senators James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), David Vitter (R-La.), and Tom Carper (D-La.), the bill would provide more than $40 billion in revenues to cover shortfalls in the Highway Trust Fund during the first three years of the legislation’s six-year authorization.
Averting the July 31 expiration of current surface transportation authority, the Senate also passed a three-month infrastructure extension that funds road and bridge projects through this year’s construction season, and provides more time for Congress to finish work on a multi-year authorization in the coming months. The short-term extension, already approved by the House, awaits the President Obama’s signature.
“Supporting the nation’s infrastructure is one of the basic functions of our government,” said James G. Toscas, president and CEO of the Portland Cement Association (PCA). “Years of short-term stopgap measures have left our transportation system in terrible shape. Let’s be honest: we won’t be happy until this country has a long-term transportation bill with a sustainable funding mechanism. While today’s action is also a stopgap measure, we’re encouraged because it’s specifically aimed at giving Congress time to work on the DRIVE Act. Hopefully this three-month extension will be signed into law, and will be the last short-term transportation authorization we’ll see for many years.”
PCA has long called for passage of a multi-year highway bill like the DRIVE Act. The DRIVE Act would finally break the pattern of repeated short-term patches, which have failed to provide the long-term investment needed to properly maintain and expand our nation’s transportation infrastructure.
“We need to do everything we can to help our economy,” said Toscas. “The economy depends on safe and efficient transportation. As our economy struggles to grow, transportation demands increase. After years of inadequate investment, the present system is simply not up to the task, and could end up choking the economy. The DRIVE Act will be a big step toward fixing this with sound infrastructure investment, and today’s Senate action is a step toward the DRIVE Act.”
