Photo: U.S. Department of Transportation

Photo: U.S. Department of Transportation

Despite its ultra-wonky clunkiness, “infrastructure” is a word that keeps right on trending hard inside the Beltway. And that’s a good thing for trucking. But talk is not action.

Apparently not content to wait for what may be in the trillion-dollar infrastructure plan promised but yet to be released by the Trump administration, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has opted to push out to social media its take on what’s needed for infrastructure “to take on the challenges of the 21st century” via a new web-based informational campaign.

Dubbed “Building a 21st Century Infrastructure for America”—  or “#building21” for short— the initiative aims to explain the committee’s “vision for America’s infrastructure that promotes job creation, encourages economic development, and prepares the Nation for the breakthroughs in mobility that are around the corner,” said Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA).

A key element of the campaign is a dedicated website designed to “focus attention on policies that will build a 21st century infrastructure.”

The site, which went live on Feb. 6, so far features the perspectives of Shuster and other committee members as well as a “vision statement” for the initiative.

“This isn’t simply a website,” said Shuster.  “The committee will continue to hold hearings, listening sessions, and roundtables throughout the Congress as part of our agenda to explore what system users, manufacturers, and consumers need to truly develop an infrastructure and transportation network that is second to none.”

One can only hope the committee’s digital effort will at the very least spur more discussion on Capitol Hill of:

  • What infrastructure needs funding
  • How exactly that infrastructure should be funded
  • How quickly that funding can be packaged and sent to President Trump to sign

To be sure, it is boldy stated on the website that you should: "Tell us at #building21."

Related: The Not-So-New Capitol Hill Players…

About the author
David Cullen

David Cullen

[Former] Business/Washington Contributing Editor

David Cullen comments on the positive and negative factors impacting trucking – from the latest government regulations and policy initiatives coming out of Washington DC to the array of business and societal pressures that also determine what truck-fleet managers must do to ensure their operations keep on driving ahead.

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