A bipartisan House Dear Colleague letter highlighting needed relief for state Departments of Transportation (DOTs), and the related infrastructure projects they implement, was led by Rep. Connor Lamb (D-Pa.), Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio), Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.) and Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.) The letter included a total of 47 signatures.
“Providing relief to our state DOTs is a bipartisan infrastructure objective, and we are grateful for the leadership of Reps. Lamb, Gibbs, Carbajal and Katko for this letter,” said National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association President and CEO Michael Johnson. “We also appreciate the 43 other cosigners of the letter that also know the importance of supporting state DOTs that still have not fully recovered from the pandemic.
“Our highways, roads and bridges physically connect our communities – whether in city centers, suburban areas or rural towns. This ask to leadership of $18 billion in aid would improve local economies in all 50 states, enhance the daily lives of millions of Americans and ensure infrastructure projects that were previously delayed or cancelled during the pandemic’s onset return to schedule.
“The COVID-19 pandemic directly impacted Americans’ driving habits and significantly reduced dedicated revenue streams for state DOTs. As a result, over $10 billion in public works construction projects and improvements were lost in 2020 and it is expected that state DOTs will absorb another $28 billion in lost revenues over the next four fiscal years. Last year $10 billion was secured in the 116th Congress’s end of year pandemic package, however as the letter asks, $18 billion is still needed. Our current infrastructure is already in a state of disarray. This ask seems simple, we urge Congress to help state DOTs so they can fund projects that have already been green lit and get caught up to their operations of where they were pre-pandemic.”