Rep. Rick Larsen (WA–02) recently spoke with local officials as well as transportation stakeholders in northwest Washington to better understand how federal funding impacts better infrastructure and more jobs; as part of his tour, Larsen also visited transportation projects that need federal funding to be completed.
“The patchwork approach doesn’t work,” Larsen said. “It’ll end up slamming the brakes on the economy.”
The Highway Trust Fund is the largest source of federal financing for bridges, roads, transit systems and highways.
“Local officials have told me that improving at-grade crossings is critical for safety and traffic flow,” Larsen said. “Rail incidents are most likely to happen at these crossings, and they can lead to traffic congestion that delays people on their way to work, goods on their way to market and public safety vehicles on their way to save lives. As our rail lines carry more goods, including crude oil, I am working to improve community safety.”
Congress must pass a new transportation bill before the current fund expires on July 31.
“All of this is great information for me to know so that we can fulfill the nation’s transportation needs in the best way possible,” Larsen said. “We can’t have a successful economy without investing in infrastructure.”
