Transportation secretary completes tour promoting long-term highway bill

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx completed a four-day bus tour in Washington, D.C., to urge Congress to act on a long-term transportation bill. While traveling through five states – Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia –Foxx visited universities, manufacturers, bridges, freight facilities, and highway projects to highlight the importance of investing in America’s infrastructure.

“I traveled up the East Coast this week to focus America’s attention on our roads, rails and ports – and to let people know that the future is a choice,” Foxx says. “If Congress fails to invest in transportation, we fail to invest in our future.”

In Tallahassee, Fla., Foxx met with students at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) and visited the proposed State Road 263 Capital Circle Southwest Project with Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum to highlight the city’s efforts to promote economic development. The proposed project is estimated to cost $120 million – of which $111 million is still needed for the project to go to construction, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

Before heading to Georgia, Rep. Corrine Brown (D-Fla.) and Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown joined Foxx on a tour of the I-95 Overland Bridge Replacement Project. At $196 million in construction costs alone, the project –which relies on $73 million in federal funding– is considered the largest highway construction effort in northeast Florida’s history, DOT reports.

In Savannah, Ga., Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) joined Foxx on a visit to the proposed Brampton Road Connector Project. Although estimated to cost $26 million, funds have not yet been identified to begin construction on the project, which DOT says would improve the movement of freight at the Port of Savannah.

Vice President Joe Biden joined Foxx for the first stop in the Carolinas – in Charleston, S.C. – to make the case for increased investments in U.S. ports and freight systems. While in North Carolina, federal, state and local officials joined Foxx and Biden, including Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.) and Rep. Alma Adams (D-N.C.), to highlight passenger rail projects that will spur economic development and improve access to jobs and education in growing communities.

At Richmond International Airport in Virginia, Foxx focused on road safety, standing with elected officials, representatives from the rental car industry, and consumer safety advocates calling on rental car agencies and used car dealers to fix safety defects before renting or selling vehicles.