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November 29, 2012

Higgins Encourages Smart Infrastructure Investment

Cites Skyway Removal as Example of Smart Planning for the Future

Congressman Brian Higgins took to the House Floor to encourage his colleagues in the House of Representatives to make adequate investments in transportation infrastructure that will positively impact communities for the future. 

Congressman Higgins cited the future of the Skyway as an example of how infrastructure investment can create community opportunities for the future. Higgins has long advocated for the removal of Buffalo’s Skyway, citing the roadway as an obstacle to access to the water’s edge. Earlier this week, Higgins announced that the New York State Department Transportation (NYSDOT) will consider removal of the Skyway. 

 

 (To access video click above or go to: http://youtu.be/ePBVm0Pcrn4)
 
 
The text of Higgins’ speech is below:
 
Mr. Speaker, our national policy for transportation and budget is a disgrace and an embarrassment. Our roads and bridges are a mess. Transportation for America says that we have 69,000 structurally deficient bridges in this nation. We have over 2,000 structurally deficient bridges in New York State and we have 99 structurally deficient bridges in my home community of Western New York. Every second of every day, 7 cars carrying our families drive on a bridge that is structurally deficient. 

In the city of Buffalo we are preparing to make a decision about the future of the elevated Skyway bridge, a roadway classified by roadway officials as structurally deficient, fracture critical, and functionally obsolete. 

Federal investments should help communities make smart decisions and become more self-sufficient. Investing in smart infrastructure is not simply about tearing down our crumbling bridges, it’s about rebuilding our nation.   
 

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