America’s infrastructure is in need of repair. A strong infrastructure plan provides a direct benefit to the American people. Improving our crumbling transportation infrastructure will create jobs and and in effect improve our economy so that America remains a world leader. This means putting more federal dollars into these projects, as well as leveraging private capital and investment to ensure that the nation’s debt crisis doesn’t deepen.

My experience as the mayor of Corning taught me how important the quality of infrastructure is to economic development and jobs. Safe, reliable transportation options are critical to virtually every commercial enterprise in America. This work includes cleaning up the West Valley Demonstration Project; I sponsored a bill that would increase funding for this effort to $75 million a year.

This is why I am committed to investing in our local infrastructure to ensure that our region grows and that businesses create jobs for our hard-working people. Currently I am working as co-chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, a 47-member, bipartisan group that works to find consensus on tough issues facing America, to develop a solution to the infrastructure crisis.

We have made local infrastructure improvements a priority by hosting regular meetings with our local highway officials and infrastructure experts. Several of these ideas were included in recent funding bills: the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), the “BUILD Bridges Act” aimed at improving bridge maintenance, rehabilitation, reconstruction and replacement projects, and the “Remove Unnecessary Roadblocks to Local Transportation Safety Projects Act” to cut down on paperwork for routine highway safety projects.

We continue work to ensure upgrades are made to the Southern Tier’s I-86, I-99, the Route 15 corridor and towards completion of Rte. 219 – all critical lifelines for the New York State economy.