Transportation
Downtown Buford, GA
I-85 runs right through the heart of the Seventh District of Georgia and its residents rely heavily on GA-316, GA-400, and US-78. Millions of cars travel up and down I-85 to and from people's work in Atlanta to their homes in Gwinnett and Forsyth Counties. Without these resources, growth and prosperity in our area would be unimaginable.
Of course, the interstate highway system is but one part of our nation's transportation infrastructure – roads, bridges, ports, railroads, and airplanes are all vital transportation resources that keep our economy moving forward. In fact, one single port deepening project at our state's Savannah Harbor is worth an estimated $115 million annually in added economic benefits to the country. A well-functioning air traffic control system can avert potential airplane disasters and save time and money by drastically reducing air travel delays. Integrated railway systems can reduce our use of fossil fuels, thereby saving Americans millions of dollars every year on high fuel costs for transporting goods across the country.
A comprehensive transportation policy that integrates the needs of the federal government with that of state and local transportation agencies is essential to our nation's economic future. As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I will work with my colleagues in the House to pass common-sense legislation that relies more on innovation and careful use of our scarce financial resources than on tax increases.
A crucial part of viable transportation policy is returning as many transportation decisions and dollars to the states. It is only at the local level that our dollars can be put to the highest and best use. In the meantime, the federal government must be responsible stewards of transportation money moving forward.
To learn more about transportation issues, please visit the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee website at http://transportation.house.gov.
More on Transportation
The five-year transportation bill signed into law in December by President Barack Obama after getting bipartisan support in Congress is notable for being the first transportation bill enacted since the 1990s, Georgia Republican Rep. Rob Woodall told a small group gathered Wednesday at the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce for a transportation forum.
But, said Woodall, who represents an eastern metropolitan Atlanta district, the $305 billion the bill apportions among the 50 states isn’t a particularly noteworthy expenditure in terms of the country’s transportation needs.
VALDOSTA — U.S. Congressman Rob Woodall visited Valdosta on Tuesday to discuss transportation issues with local leaders and transportation experts.
Woodall represents Georgia’s 7th Congressional District and is a member of the United States House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. His visit to Valdosta is part of a seven-city tour to highlight two federal acts: the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act and the Water Resources Reform and Development Act.
Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry gave members of the Gwinnett Chamber fair warning on Wednesday: Orange construction barrels and cones are coming to Interstate 85 this summer.
The GDOT leader told the chamber that construction work on new high-occupancy toll lanes that extend the existing toll lanes north to Hamilton Mill Road is expected to begin in August. Ten miles and new toll lanes will be built over the next two years between Old Peachtree Road and Hamilton Mill Road as part of the project.