Letter To The Editor: Why We Must Invest In Infrastructure​

I recently had the opportunity to join Governor Andrew Cuomo, local elected officials, and community leaders at a ceremony to mark the opening of the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. That day, as I stood there looking out over the Hudson River, I thought about how, just as the old bridge is representative of our larger national infrastructure crisis, the Cuomo Bridge demonstrates what is possible when the government is willing and committed to making smart and adequate investments to improve the nation’s infrastructure.

The new bridge will serve as a critical link in our region’s infrastructure system, providing much-needed relief for commuters and spurring economic growth for years to come. But this project simply would not have been possible without robust federal resources. In addition to $2 billion from the state, a $1.6 billion low-interest loan was allocated by the federal government for the bridge replacement — financing I helped secure through my position as Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Committee.

Through smart investments in infrastructure like the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, we can rebuild not only this nation’s roads and bridges but also the American prosperity that goes along with job creation, increased safety for our communities, and a better quality of life. If President Trump and congressional Republicans are serious about bringing our infrastructure into the 21st century, they should present a comprehensive infrastructure plan, as promised, and put an end to efforts — like that in the spending bill package scheduled for consideration in the U.S. House next week — to eliminate the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program — the program that, by the way, allocated $10 million to help finance bus rapid transit on the Cuomo Bridge.

— Rep. Nita Lowey, D-Harrison