Safe and efficient transportation is critical to our communities and the U.S. economy, which is why Senator Murray is fighting to make sure our transportation system is capable of meeting the demands of a 21st century economy. Senator Murray was proud to support the FAST Act in 2015, a five-year surface transportation bill that increased funding for infrastructure and public transit programs in Washington state. Senator Murray pushed to include provisions in the FAST Act to improve freight mobility, which supports jobs and the economy, and to provide additional investments in the ferry system – an important part of Washington state’s transportation network.
As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Subcommittee, Senator Murray will continue to fight for investments that move our country forward. This includes supporting local and state transportation projects with federal investments that reduce congestion, increase safety, and create jobs and ensuring air travel is safe and efficient. Senator Murray is committed to putting Washington’s transportation needs first in the U.S. Senate and pushing for investments that give states and local communities the certainty they need to make plans, hire workers, and carry out projects to support daily commuters, businesses, and so many more who rely on our transportation infrastructure to go about their daily lives and provide for themselves and their families.
Senator Murray is working to improve our nation’s transportation system by:
- Funding the TIGER grant program to put money back into local communities to address local and regional transportation needs
- Increasing public transit options for urban and rural areas to provide people with transportation alternatives
- Supporting the development of new, clean sources of energy so our transportation system is less dependent upon fossil fuels
- Improving our national transportation infrastructure by investing in roads and bridges to support commerce and expand economic growth
- Working to reduce traffic congestion in Washington state and across the country
- Ensuring that ferry systems like Washington’s continue to receive their fair share of federal transportation funding
- Increasing federal oversight of the shipment of crude oil by rail to ensure the safety of our railroads and the communities close to their tracks
- Supporting sensible policies to address the impacts of climate change on our nation’s infrastructure
What Senator Murray has already done to improve U.S. transportation:
- Created the TIGER grant program, securing $4.6 billion for innovative, multimodal projects across the nation since 2009, including $229 million to support 15 projects in Washington state
- Fought to secure federal funding for critical infrastructure investments in roads, bridges, and safety improvements throughout the country
- Been Washington state’s leader in securing federal funding for Sound Transit, including $500 million in federal funding for the Link Light Rail project in Puget Sound which began operations in 2009 and $813 million in federal funding to extend the Link from downtown Seattle to the University of Washington which began operations in March 2016
- Supported Amtrak and other rail activities to give Americans more affordable alternatives to driving
- Funded safety improvements on highways and interstates across the nation and in Washington State, including Highway 12 and numerous state routes
- Supported transportation research to increase efficiency and safety, and decrease pollution
- Funded public transit agencies to make public transportation more accessible and affordable
- Worked to invest nearly $700 million in Washington state roads, transit, shipyards, and ferries in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
- Protected federal investments in Washington’s ferry system, the largest ferry system in the country
