Statement on five-year highway bill

Press Release

Rep. Sam Farr, D-Calif., released the following statement after Congress passed the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act -- a measure that reauthorizes public transit, highway, bridge and transportation safety projects for the next five years. The act provides $281 billion in guaranteed funding for these programs:

"Long-term planning by our local transit agencies requires a long-term commitment from the federal government. After passing one short-term extension after another, Congress was finally able to pass a full five-year bill that gives our transit agencies the certainty they need to invest in projects that benefit the Central Coast.

"Passing this bill was particularly important for our local economy. It will help our growers get their crops to market faster, it will allow more visitors to come and see the region and it will make our community more livable by expanding public transportation options.

"I was particularly pleased to see the bill increased funding for the Small Transit Intensive Cities (STIC) program that I authored in the 1998 transportation bill. Santa Cruz Metro and Monterey-Salinas Transit are among the highest performing small agencies in the country and benefit greatly from STIC funding. An increase in STIC dollars will enhance services offered by those two transit agencies.

"While I supported the FAST Act, I feel it did not go far enough to fully invest in our country's transportation needs. We still need more funding to fully repair and rebuild our aging system of roads and bridges. However, this bill is a move in the right direction and one that will benefit our region greatly."

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