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The House of Representatives on Friday passed landmark legislation, which provides two years of steady federal funding through the Highway Bill. Its passage allows New York state to invest in our ailing roads and bridges. It maintains level funding and New York’s historic share of the federal transportation programs.

Congressman Richard Hanna, Vice Chairman of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, released the following statement:

"As a conferee, I was pleased to work hand-in-hand with Chairmen John Mica and Barbara Boxer to negotiate the most significant reforms to our nation’s highway and transit programs in decades. This agreement eliminates wasteful or duplicative programs that for too long diverted funds from worthy transportation projects to unrelated causes. It will significantly reduce the time it takes to complete major projects from 14 years by cutting through red tape and bureaucracy that can mire projects in lawsuits and unnecessary reviews. And this historic transportation bill contains zero earmarks—ending the history of ‘bridges to nowhere.’ That means more funds are available for real work that needs to be done in Upstate.

“Significantly for New York, I was able to negotiate key concessions from the Senate bill that would have devastated the Metropolitan Planning Organizations in Utica, Rome and Binghamton. These groups are vital to identifying and planning for needed projects in these areas. Working with the National Association of Development Organizations, I also included a provision to provide small, rural communities a greater say in the planning process to ensure their voices are heard when important decisions are made about which projects to fund. I look forward to the President signing this legislation so that we can rebuild our roads and bridges, boost our competitiveness and put more upstate New Yorkers back to work.”

“I am grateful to Congressman Hanna for his hard work in crafting this long-term transportation bill,” Mica said. “Given his background in construction and focus on achieving results, Richard Hanna was an invaluable member of the team that got this landmark bill to the finish line.”

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