Issue Position: Transportation and Infastructure
Issue Position
Our region's geography provides us with a strategic opportunity to continue as one of the nation's most important transportation links between the Port of Toledo and the St. Lawrence Seaway System, the intersection of Interstates I-75 and I-80/I-90, and one of the nation's six busiest rail centers. Through our transportation assets we can make investments that secure and create jobs and companies in our region, such as the construction of the I-280 Veterans' Glass City Skyway, rehabbing Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza (Central Union Terminal) rail station, and expansion of Toledo Express Airport.
Our converting local public transit and other public vehicle fleets to renewable energy we can expand our reputation and experiences as a center for alternative energy development. This effort is enabled through the University of Toledo and its securing through, H.R. 3, the Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (TEA-LU) of 2005 a University Transportation Center (UTC). The U.S. Department of Transportation invests in the future of transportation through its University Transportation Centers Program, which awards grants to universities across the United States to advance the state-of-the-art in transportation research and develop the next generation of transportation professionals. In 2005, the University of Toledo was designated as a Tier II UTC and funded for $500,000 per year for four years ($2 million).
Our position on the Transportation-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee provides oversight and direction to the $108.3 billion in total budgetary resources for transportation and housing programs funded last year, including $40.2 billion for highways, $10.3 billion for public transit, $3.5 billion for the Airport Improvement Program, and $1.5 billion for intercity passenger rail.
Assuring that our nation has a 21st century transportation system to meet our ever increasing needs is critical in maintaining our economy. Investing in a modern high-speed passenger rail system is essential to securing the future economic development of our region and the nation.
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