ARTBA President Pete Ruane urges ConExpo-Con/Agg attendees to tell Congress to fix Highway Trust Fund

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The American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) has been shedding light on the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) and other transportation-related policy with its “Transportation Makes America Work” campaign.

The campaign includes a grassroots-focused website, an advocacy app and more.

Now ARTBA President and CEO Pete Ruane is urging ConExpo-Con/Agg attendees to tell Congress to fix the HTF.

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Ruane notes that government funds more than 95 percent of the nation’s transportation work, while the federal government funds about 52 percent of local road and bridge work through the HTF.

He adds that the HTF faces insolvency in the upcoming months.

“Without action by the U.S. Congress by October 1 of this year, that 52 percent of funds will be gone for new projects in 2015,” Ruane says. “Think about the impact that will have on your company — on your job.”

Ruane offers a solution that he says will “help make sure that market collapse does not happen.”

He tells viewers to contact their lawmakers and to say, “Congressman… Senator… you represent me and my family in Congress. And my job depends on Congress fixing the Highway Trust Fund before October 1. Please do your job and make sure that happens.”

To hear Ruane’s message, watch the video included in this post.

In addition to this message, Ruane also recently talked to leaders in Washington, D.C. about the HTF’s risk of depletion.

BR_ConExpo_CountdownHe wrote to President Obama after the State of the Union address last month, urging the president to find a long-term solution for funding. He also testified at a Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) hearing on MAP-21, where he told committee members that failure to address the HTF shortfall would result in a “painful scenario” in which thousands of projects could be lost.

ARTBA will offer more information about the HTF and reauthorization of transportation funding at booth 20049 in the Grand Lobby of the Convention Center at ConExpo-Con/Agg.