A broad coalition of business, labor, and transportation groups have launched an official campaign to challenge presidential and congressional candidates to make investments in highways, bridges, and public transportation a priority for their campaigns.


The Americans for Transportation Mobility Coalition's FasterBetterSafer Campaign was announced by U.S. Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Tom Donohue, Laborers International
Union of North America President Terrence O'Sullivan, and American Road & Transportation Builders Association President Pete Ruane.

"We have a transportation system that is overworked, underfunded, increasingly unsafe, and without a long-term plan," said Donohue, who at one time led the American Trucking Associations. "Our crumbling roads and bridges and strained public transportation systems are symptomatic of a lack of leadership at all levels of government. It is evident that now is the time to move on a robust and comprehensive plan to build, maintain, and fund a world-class 21st century transportation network."

The campaign intends to demonstrate to policy-makers in Washington that an aging and overburdened transportation system imposes enormous costs on Americans' safety and quality of life, the environment and the economy. As the countdown to the next surface transportation authorization bill begins, the nation's political leaders must understand there is no single answer and all options must be on the table to address the enormous challenges of an aging transportation system. The U.S. can either invest now, or pay later. A blue ribbon panel recently estimated that $225 billion is required annually from all levels of government to maintain and improve our roads, bridges, public transportation, and passenger and freight rail systems. Current funding levels leave roughly a $70 billion investment gap.

The FasterBetterSafer Campaign will demonstrate to leaders in Washington the groundswell of public support across the country for making transportation a national priority. FasterBetterSafer is growing its grassroots network through aggressive viral outreach and by holding public events around the country. By talking with the media, the general public, and business groups, the Campaign will bring increased awareness about this issue right to policy-makers' doorsteps.

"Now is the time to reform, refocus, restructure and refinance the federal highway
and transit programs," ARTBA President & CEO Pete Ruane said. "Through this
campaign, the Chamber is playing a critical leadership role in highlighting the importance
of increased transportation investment to economic productivity and to ensuring that
American businesses remain globally competitive."

"At no other time have so many diverse individuals and organizations coalesced
around the need to build America," O'Sullivan said. "We are all arriving at this point
from different perspectives but we are here as Americans first, who believe that the next
president and the next Congress must lead the effort to build America, so America works.
We are a country that has always tackled the big challenges - from building the first
interstate highway system or the Golden Gate Bridge to landing a man on the moon - and
this is a challenge that can and must be met."

For more information, visit http://www.fasterbettersafer.org/.