Forbes: "If We Can Rebuild a Collapsed Interstate Bridge in 414 Days, We Can Certainly Build a Road in Less Than 13 Years."

Press Release

Congressman J. Randy Forbes (VA-04) announced today that he has introduced legislation, the 414 Plan (H.R. 2924), that would expedite the construction of roads and bridges in order to create jobs and provide needed improvements to our nation's aging infrastructure. Rather than investing more money in "stimulus"-type projects that fail to produce tangible results, Forbes' bill addresses the growing problem of regulatory impediments that stall the highway construction process to an average of 13.1 years. This is accomplished by temporarily suspending burdensome regulations hindering states, localities, and the construction industry from completing transportation projects and improvements in a timely and cost-effective manner while still maintaining rigorous safety and durability standards.

"In 2007, the entire span of an interstate bridge in Minneapolis broke into sections and collapsed into the Mississippi River during evening bumper-to-bumper traffic. Within record time, just 414 days, the entire bridge was reconstructed due to its high national priority. Americans don't need another tragic bridge collapse to tell them that fixing our aging infrastructure is a national priority, and the Administration's failed stimulus program proved that simply throwing money at the problem is not the answer. If we can rebuild a collapsed interstate bridge in 414 days, we can certainly build a road in less than 13 years. That is why I am introducing the 414 Plan, a bill that puts Americans back to work, cuts costs, and accelerates necessary construction and improvements to our nation's roads and bridges," said Forbes.

The 414 Plan:

* Suspends for five years all federal regulations that do not pertain to the safety or durability of highway facilities, or of public and workplace safety;
* Dispenses with costly, outdated federal requirements while continuing to afford states and localities flexibility in utilizing federal funding for road and bridge projects;
* Expresses the sense of Congress on the need for greater interagency cooperation among project stakeholders to further expedite the deployment of surface transportation projects; and
* Has been referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

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