Foxx pushes for infrastructure investment during Tampa Interstate Study visit

(Photo credit: Ziggymarley01 / Wikipedia)(Photo credit: Ziggymarley01 / Wikipedia)

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx toured the Tampa Interstate Study (TIS) this week, taking the opportunity to push for infrastructure investment, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced in a press release.

The TIS is a $1.8 billion series of highway improvements in and around Interstate 4, State Route 60 and the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway. Planning for the series of projects began in 1989, with completion slated for September 2016.

Once completed, the TIS will feature additional lanes and ramps, as well as other improvements designed to reduce traffic congestion.

The projects require $941 million in federal funding, and Foxx noted that such projects are examples of the need for a multi-year highway bill.

“These badly needed improvements to the major routes through Tampa and Ybor City will greatly improve the area’s ability to keep pace with the constant demands of a growing region,” Foxx said. “The American people want better roads and bridges to get them safely where they need to go and projects like the Tampa Interstate Study are why we need Congress to pass a long-term transportation bill.”

Last month, Foxx sent President Barack Obama’s proposed $302 billion, four-year reauthorization proposal to Congress. Dubbed the GROW AMERICA Act, the bill would address the Highway Trust Fund, which is expected to shortfall in late August; promote job creation and transportation safety; and reduce project approval timelines, among other provisions.