Infrastructure is a bipartisan issue, according to Jim Tymon, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, said on a recent podcast.
Speaking on the Americans for Transportation Mobility Coalition’s latest podcast, Tymon said infrastructure was something everyone could agree was a good investment for the United States.
“I think that this still is a bipartisan issue. Transportation is an area that Democrats and Republicans in both the House and the Senate can rally around,” Tymon said on the 16-minute program.
Moreover, it’s an election issue for both sides of the aisle in both houses.
“As we come up to the elections here in November, there’s not a whole lot that senators and congressmen can go back to their districts and talk about [regarding] pieces of legislation that they’ve been able to get done,” he said. “Outside of what’s been done on COVID-19 relief, there hasn’t been a lot of signature pieces of legislation that either side can go out there and champion. This is a great opportunity for them to show that they can work together to get something done on transportation.”
Tymon also addressed the need for emergency funding for state departments of transportation while dealing with the steep decline in transportation revenue as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a July 20 letter, AASHTO asked Congress for an “immediate infusion” of at least $37 billion to prevent disruptions to planned transportation projects that would keep workers employed and enable the transportation industry to help facilitate economic recovery.