Tolling Industry Offers to Assist as President Trump Lays Out His Infrastructure Vision

As the White House and federal legislators begin putting together a funding package for the $1-trillion infrastructure program that President Donald Trump announced in his speech to the U.S. Congress Tuesday evening, the tolling industry stands ready to deliver a key cornerstone of a plan that will rely on a mix of federal investment and private financing.

“The transportation community welcomes President Trump’s vision for rebuilding our country’s highways, bridges, and tunnels,” said IBTTA Executive Director and CEO Patrick D. Jones. “Both Congress and the Administration appear to have found common ground on the need to make additional transportation investments.

A ‘Gleaming’ Vision for New Infrastructure

In his first speech to a joint session of Congress, the President reiterated his vision for the future of American infrastructure.

“Crumbling infrastructure will be replaced with new roads, bridges, tunnels, airports and railways gleaming across our beautiful land,” he said. “To launch our national rebuilding, I will be asking the Congress to approve legislation that produces a $1 trillion investment in the infrastructure of the United States—financed through both public and private capital—creating millions of new jobs.”

The announcement elaborated on an infrastructure white paper that had circulated on the campaign trail, but included only limited details of the new administration’s approach to funding and financing. Last night, the President said his legislative effort “will be guided by a promise to buy American-made products and hire U.S. citizens,” The Hill reports.

Sorting Out the Details

Jones said IBTTA is ready to help sort out the details.

“As we begin the hard work to achieve the vision of new airports, first-class highways and magnificent bridges, we must also work hard to have an open and robust conversation about how to pay for this vital infrastructure,” he said. “As a wise person once said, ‘Roads and bridges aren’t free and they’re certainly not cheap.’ To move this country forward and expand the economy, we need infrastructure that is second to none.

“For that to happen, we need to convince the American people that we must invest a little more to get the kind of infrastructure we need.”

To read IBTTA’s full statement released to the media, please click here.

Be a part of a crucial conversation! Sign up today for IBTTA’s Summit on Finance, Policy, VMT, April 23-25, 2017 in Jersey City, NJ.