ACE joins SoCal leaders in calling for transportation reauthorization

Government and industry leaders from across Southern California, including the San Gabriel Valley, are urging Congress to beat a June 30 deadline to pass legislation ensuring that revenues are available to fund vital transportation infrastructure projects for our region.  At jeopardy are 2.9 million jobs across the nation.

 Among those at Thursday’s press conference was Rick Richmond, chief executive officer of the San Gabriel Valley-based Alameda Corridor East Construction Authority. “We have $400 million in projects in the pipeline that accounts for 11,000 jobs, but we need the federal funds to complete many of these projects and start the other projects that are approved but awaiting funding commitments,” Richmond said.

 In August 2005, President Bush signed the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), a bill that authorizes how surface transportation projects are funded.  This legislation expired September 30, 2009.  The bill has been renewed nine times, at the 2005 funding level, over the nearly three years.

 The press conference, held at the Southern California Association of Government’s headquarters in Los Angeles, is available for viewing online athttp://www.scag.ca.gov/scagtv