DeLauro Votes to Pass $715 Billion Investment in U.S. Infrastructure, Secures $20 million to Complete New Haven's Downtown Crossing

Press Release

House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) today voted to pass H.R. 3684, the INVEST in America Act. This critical $715 billion investment in United States' infrastructure includes more than an estimated $3.8 billion for Connecticut over five years, more than $3.6 billion for highway infrastructure, and $195.9 million for transit infrastructure.

Included in the INVEST in America Act is $20 million Congresswoman DeLauro requested for New Haven's Downtown Crossing. This funding will be used to complete Phase 4 of the project, the last phase of the project. When completed, the Downtown Crossing Project will make it safer and easier for pedestrians and bicyclists to enjoy the City of New Haven, provide new opportunities for economic development, and restore the urban street environment that was removed decades ago to build the expressway.

"After decades of disinvestment and four years of failed "Infrastructure Weeks,' I believe now is the time to make desperately needed investments to rebuild our nation," said Congresswoman DeLauro. "I am particularly pleased that funding for the Downtown Crossing project was included in this bill. The Downtown Crossing project is about many things: reconnecting the roots of our city with its surrounding neighborhoods, creating good-paying jobs in our City, making our community more walkable and friendlier to cyclists, and supporting the continued growth of the biomedical sector of our local economy. This is a project that I have tirelessly worked on since my days as Chief of Staff for New Haven Mayor Frank Logue in the 1970s, and yet, decades later, I am still fighting for its completion."

The INVEST in America Act takes bold steps to strengthen our economy and create real opportunities for millions with good-paying jobs that cannot be outsourced. The INVEST in America Act:

Delivers better roads and bridges faster by increasing investment by 54 percent, with an emphasis on fixing existing infrastructure;
Invests more than $109 billion in transit;
Triples funding for Amtrak to $32 billion, allowing for enhanced service, ADA upgrades, and investments to renew and support service on the Northeast Corridor and long-distance and state-supported routes;
Authorizes $45 billion to fully replace lead service lines throughout the nation. As many as 10 million lead service lines are currently in use, including an estimated 400,000 schools and child facilities with lead components. And,
Targets investments to areas of persistent poverty, rural communities, Tribes, and other continually disadvantaged areas.
"According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, a continued underinvestment in our infrastructure at current rates will cost $10 trillion in GDP, more than 3 million jobs, and $2.4 trillion in exports over the next 20 years," DeLauro continued. "We need a robust investment to not only fix our current infrastructure state but to invest in new projects to bring our infrastructure system into the 21st century. In the process, the INVEST in America Act will put millions of Americans to work while improving the functioning and safety of the United States economy. The INVEST in America Act helps build the architecture for our nation's future and delivers far-reaching, forward-thinking progress for Connecticut families. It is now up to Senate Republicans to join House Democrats in moving our nation forward and taking bold action to rebuild America."

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