Amtrak announced on Wednesday that it carried more than 31 million passengers in this fiscal year - marking the highest annual ridership total since operations began in 1971. The Northeast Corridor alone, which travels from Washington D.C. to places such as Wilmington, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston, had a nearly a five percent increase in ridership.
Amtrak attributed their ridership growth to passenger services such as Wi-Fi and eTicketing, as well as high gasoline prices and continued growth in business travel on the Northeast Corridor.
Senator Coons is an ardent supporter of Amtrak, which employs more than 1,100 Delawareans and brought $9 million in goods and services to the state last year. Chris is also an Amtrak rider – making the near-daily roundtrip from Wilmington to Washington.
The American Society of Civil Engineers recently published a new report making clear the economic necessity of investing in our nation’s infrastructure. The report, entitled Failure to Act: The Economic Impact of Current Investment Trends in Airports, Inland Waterways, and Marine Ports Infrastructure, highlights the broad economic repercussions of failing to invest in our nation’s trading centers.
The report’s economic findings demonstrate the urgent need for significant investment in our aging infrastructure—for our continued productivity, our economic competitiveness and the affordability of the millions of household goods that traverse our ports. An investment of $15.8 billion is needed by 2020, the report finds, to close the funding gap and accommodate trade growth in our marine ports and inland waterways. The stakes are high. If we fail to close the gap, the report estimates cumulative losses of $697 billion in GDP, $1.3 trillion in business sales, $872 billion in disposable personal income, and $270 billion in exports By 2040, these losses reach into the trillions of dollars.
Senator Coons has been an outspoken advocate for infrastructure investment, co-sponsoring legislation such as the Building and Upgrading Infrastructure for Long-Term Development Act,the Rebuild America Jobs Act and the Harbor Maintenance Act that invest in America’s future while providing high wage, high skill jobs for American workers.
The Port of Wilmington plays a critical role in Delaware’s economy, transporting more than five million tons of goods and generating nearly $30 million in state tax revenue each year. The port’s operations provide jobs for 5,000 Delawareans and planned expansions could create up to 75,000 jobs in the region. The Delaware River Deepening Project, slated for completion in 2017, would dredge the Delaware River from a depth of 40 feet to 45 feet, which will attract larger, more efficient cargo ships and increase Wilmington’s competiveness on the Eastern Seaboard. Chris is committed to ensuring its completion and will keep fighting to make sure the Port of Wilmington has the resources it needs to thrive.
Today, Senator Coons joined more than half dozen of his Senate colleagues in calling for immediate passage of a transportation bill that could save or create nearly three million jobs.
Legislation supporting critical investments in America’s roads and bridges is set to expire at the end of this month. The Senate has already passed a long-term extension of the bill, which Chris strongly supported because it makes the kind of sensible, predictable investments that companies need to hire new workers. . The Senate version was crafted and passed with strong bipartisan support, but a more partisan version passed the House. At today’s event, Senator Coons and his colleagues made clear that jobs depend on the Senate version being signed into law.
“In times like these, our economy depends on efficient transit,” Chris said. “In order to hire, companies need certainty, reliability, predictability. The Senate-passed bill provides that certainty that allows companies to hire new crews.”
Senator Coons was joined at Wednesday’s event by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), the chairwoman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, as well as Senators Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), John Kerry (D-Mass.), Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.).
To learn more about Chris’ work on transportation, click here.
U.S. Senators Chris Coons and Mark Begich spoke on the Senate floor about the critical need for the U.S. House of Representatives to vote on the Senate highway bill - Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (S. 1813), which passed the Senate earlier this month.
Senator Coons joined his colleagues in the Senate in passing a bipartisan two-year transportation reauthorization last week. This bill includes funding for Amtrak and passenger rail programs, freight rail, bus and public transit, as well as bicycling and pedestrian program. In addition, the reauthorization saves or creates 2.9 million jobs and is fully paid for.
The bill also took a big step towards finally fixing the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) by including a “sense of the Senate” resolution stating we must act to address the chronic backlog of harbor maintenance projects at ports across the country. The resolution supports a bill introduced by Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, the bipartisan Harbor Maintenance Act of 2011, a revenue-neutral bill that requires the fees collected from the HMTF to be used for just that purpose, maintaining ports nationwide.
Currently, importers must pay a fee for utilization of U.S. ports, which is deposited into the HMTF to pay for operation and maintenance of our nations harbors. In recent years the fund has generated a surplus of over $5 billion. However, that surplus is not being spent on our maritime infrastructure, despite the fact that our navigable channels and ports are deteriorating.
The Army Corps of Engineers estimates that the nation’s 59 busiest ports are available less than 35% of the time because they are inadequately maintained. Chris believes this situation is holding back economic growth and job creation and that we must act to ensure that we have the necessary resources to maintain our ports and rivers, which is why he is a cosponsor of the Harbor Maintenance Act.
In 2010 alone, the ports and waterways of the United States were responsible for more than $1.4 trillion in waterborne commerce. The Port of Wilmington is critical to Delaware’s economy and is North America's number one seaport for imports of fresh fruit, bananas, and juice concentrate. The port’s operations generated over 4,300 direct jobs and about 12,500 related jobs in 2011. Under-maintained maritime channels increase the risk of groundings and the cost of shipping, potentially damaging Delaware’s environment and economy.
This issue is important to the Port of Wilmington and full funding of the HMTF is supported by the Delaware Maritime community and the local International Longshoreman’s Association. Chris has been a vocal supporter of the need to invest in our nation’s infrastructure, and believes that they will not only create jobs in the short run but also enhance our long-term economic competitiveness.
While this “sense of the Senate” resolution is an important step and puts the Senate on the record as supporting the goals of the Harbor Maintenance Act, it is not binding and stronger legislation is needed to ensure that the Port of Wilmington and other ports and their commercial waterways remain safe and open for business. Chris will continue to advocate for the bi-partisan Harbor Maintenance Act and hopes that the Senate will act soon on this legislation.
NEWARK — For years, the Newark Toll Plaza has been a bottleneck for vehicles traveling on I-95, especially during the holidays. Thanks to the completion of the new toll plaza and its high-speed E-ZPass lanes, this Thanksgiving’s traffic moved swiftly, handling 611,332 vehicles — an increase of 41,642 vehicles over 2010. Even more impressive was the rate at which cars passed through the new toll plaza — an average of 400 more per hour as compared to 2010.
The toll plaza has been under construction for about two years and was opened in July, both on budget and a month ahead of schedule. This $32 million project was one of the main American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) infrastructure projects for Delaware, improving the flow of traffic through Delaware. The success of the project is one example of the importance of investing in our nation’s infrastructure to keep up with the demand.
Chris has called for the modernizing and expanding of our national infrastructure since coming to the Senate because it would help boost the economy by providing Americans with highly skilled, high-paying jobs. In November, Chris spoke on the Senate floor in support of the Rebuild America Jobs Act, which was introduced to help address America’s jobs crisis by investing in America’s crumbling infrastructure.
There has been no more frustrating part of my first year in the Senate than watching job-creating bill after job-creating bill get blocked by a gridlocked Congress. We’ve had so many opportunities to make a difference, but partisan gridlock has made it impossible to make real progress against America’s jobs crisis.
Finding jobs for our neighbors and helping our economy recover remains my top priority, which is why this week I cosponsored and worked aggressively for the Rebuild America Jobs Act — the second component of President Obama’s American Jobs Act to be brought before the Senate on its own.
Like its predecessors, this job-creating measure was blocked.
The Rebuild America Jobs Act would have gotten hundreds of thousands of construction workers back on the job addressing one of our nation’s most serious long-term problems — its crumbling infrastructure. That's why I went to the floor twice this week to voice my support for this bill. Click here to watch to my first speech
The traffic we see on our crumbling roads is nothing compared to the partisan gridlock that has prevented us from making real progress in fighting our jobs crisis. Investments in America’s infrastructure are investments in America’s future, making the Rebuild America Jobs Act smart policy that would have made a real difference.
The highlights of my first year of service in the Senate may well be the three job fairs I hosted around the state, which connected nearly 5,000 of our neighbors with more than 100 employers. Washington can learn a lot from Delaware about what it means to get the job done.
I’ll keep trying to pass legislation in Washington to punch back against this recession that has taken so much from so many American families, and I’ll keep doing all I can in Delaware to help our business grow and our connect out-of-work neighbors with employers ready to hire.
Speaking on the Senate floor on Wednesday, Senator Coons voiced his support for the Rebuild America Jobs Act, which was introduced Monday to help address America’s jobs crisis by investing in America’s crumbling infrastructure. Senator Coons is an original cosponsor to the bill.
BEAR – Senator Coons visited Amtrak’s maintenance shops in Bear last month to meet with workers. The heavy maintenance facility has primary responsibility for overhauling severely damaged train cars and general maintenance on others. On average, the facility can make repairs to 15 train cars per month. Bear is one of Amtrak’s three key East Coast maintenance facilities.
Be sure to check out pictures of Chris’ visit to Amtrak’s Bear shops by clicking here.
NEWARK — Senator Coons joined Delaware Department of Transportation Secretary Shailen Bhatt, Governor Jack Markell, Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez and the rest of the Congressional Delegation at the I-95 Newark Toll Plaza Highway Speed Lanes Completion Ceremony.
Chris helped commemorate the completion of the toll plaza’s reconstruction, and the establishment of the highway speed E-ZPass lanes. The $32 million project was funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and was completed nearly a month ahead of schedule. A major benefit of the project included the 300 construction-related jobs.
Chris spoke about the importance of I-95 as it passes through the First State. He highlighted the fact that the highway plays a key role in boosting tourism, and that it makes Delaware more accessible for those who want to do business here. Chris, who is on the Energy Committee, also pointed out that the addition of highway speed E-ZPass lanes eases congestion and therefore saves in fuel costs.
DelDot officials say the upgrades will significantly reduce traffic delays. A toll collector is able to process about 250-300 transactions an hour while the highway-speed EZPass lanes can process over 2,000.
