A group of transportation infrastructure advocates urged the White House to make the infrastructure construction industry an “essential” job during the COVID-19 pandemic.
American Highway Users Alliance, a coalition of 300 organizations including companies, trade associations, safety advocacy groups, and motoring clubs, asked the White House to ensure infrastructure construction jobs are identified as essential to the country, like grocery stores jobs and health care workers.
The letter, also addressed to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, asked that the White House issue guidance to consider the construction industry an “essential industry,” which would exempt infrastructure construction workers from stay-at-home orders.
“As states and local governments continue to issue quarantine and stay-at-home orders to attempt to stem the spread of coronavirus, we ask for additional guidance from the Administration regarding what qualifies as ‘essential infrastructure’ and ‘essential businesses and services,’” Laura Perrotta, president and CEO of Highway Users, said. “We urge the federal government to allow for exemptions for ‘essential infrastructure’ that enables workers to leave their homes to provide services or perform duties relating to operations and maintenance of ‘essential infrastructure.’ Such work would include roadway and highway construction, projects, and maintenance.”
Perrotta said that the construction projects being worked on are vital to ensuring that Americans get the products and services they need – like food, medical supplies, and mail. Continued work on roads would also contribute to the safety of those who are still going to work each day.
“Materials, equipment, safety devices, and roadway improvements are all necessary, especially during this critical time,” she wrote. “Stopping work on these vitally important projects will have lasting ramifications for our economy, our companies, and our people. Our roadways must be open for business for our truckers, our emergency and medical services, and for the men and women who must continue to get to work. Furthermore, the trucking industry is relying on “essential infrastructure” to ensure food, water, goods, medical supplies, mail, and packages get to Americans who so desperately need them.”