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Transportation

The transportation infrastructure networks that serve our country are having a hard time keeping up with service demands. More people are driving or using public transportation, but states have less money to repair and upgrade this infrastructure. Our congressional district is not an exception and we have all struggled with old bridges, late trains, and potholed roads.

As a member of the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, I have worked to authorize programs that allow New Jersey to tap into federal money for infrastructure projects. The federal government has a responsibility to help states that need assistance financing upgrades, and I continuously work to increase funding for grant programs that cities can use to finance big infrastructure upgrades projects.

Federal Work

The federal government has an important role in helping states finance big transportation projects that benefit large swaths of the country through the movements of goods and people. There are many projects around the country – bridge upgrades, commuter rail maintenance, and road repair – which cannot be finished without a helping hand from Congress.

This Congress, I introduced:

  • H.R. 543, a bill which requires the Federal Railroad Administration to inform Members of Congress when it is conducting a safety audit of a railroad within a Member’s district. This bill was passed the House of Representatives unanimously on February 6, 2019 and now awaits consideration in the Senate.

I have co-sponsored numerous infrastructure bills including:

  • H.R. 180, the Build America Act of 2019, directing the Department of Transportation to carry out a national infrastructure investment grant program for big investments in transportation infrastructure.
  • H.R. 1428, the Transportation Infrastructure for Job Creation Act, providing an additional $7.5 billion for national infrastructure investments under an existing Department of Transportation grant program.
  • I supported S. 1689, a bill to help states facing water-related public health threats access federal funds for projects that remove lead from drinking water. This bill was passed by the House and Senate and was signed into law by the President on October 4, 2019.

The Gateway Project

The most important, and complex, infrastructure network on the east coast is in our District. The tunnels and rail lines that connect New Jersey and New York are over 100 years old and were battered during Superstorm Sandy. They are in operation today, used to move freight and passengers throughout the region, but they are in desperate need of repair. Without federal government help, state authorities will be forced to shut them down for emergency maintenance or a tunnel could become unuseable - reducing the capacity by up to 75 percent. The Gateway Project is a massive undertaking to protect the economic viability of the region that includes repairing and upgrading these tunnels that tens of thousands of commuters travel through each day as they go in and out of Manhattan. 

New Jersey cannot finance the project by itself, and it should not have to. As a Member of Congress, I have consistently pushed the Department of Transportation to move the Gateway Project’s federal grant application through the Department’s project review process. Repairing and expanding these tunnels will impact anyone who commutes in the northeastern United States or travels by rail along the entire east coast. We cannot afford to play politics with something this important.

Aviation and Ports

The aviation industry is an important sector of our economy and commercial aviation employs thousands of people around the country. Our congressional district is home to part of Newark Liberty International Airport employs 22,000 people, serves 50 airline carriers, and generates $33 billion in economic activity.

This Congress, I have supported legislation that authorizes airline safety programs, pays federal airline employees in case of a government shutdown, and requires training for airline crew members to identify and address fume events onboard aircraft. I will continue my work in the 166th Congress to ensure that our airports have the resources they need to serve my constituents and our airlines have the tools they need to keep passengers safe.

Our district is also home to ports that serve as a throughway for products coming into our country and goods being sold abroad. I have supported legislative efforts to increase funding for grants and loans programs that our ports can draw from for upgrades and repair projects that keep our district competitive.

Transportation and the infrastructure necessary to keep it up impacts our everyday lives. If any one of our nation’s transportation infrastructure network breaks down, Americans immediately feel the impact - especially residents of New Jersey’s 8th Congressional District. That is why I have worked so hard to provide our States and cities with the federal funds they need to maintain current infrastructure networks, expand current infrastructure, and build new projects to meet the needs of growing cities and expanding economies.

 

 

More on Transportation

Washington Review, January 30, 2014

Jan 31, 2014

Thank you for reading this edition of my Washington Review. This week I reflected upon the President’s State of the Union address, introduced two new pieces of legislation in the House of Representatives, and worked with my colleagues in the House Committee on Foreign Affairs to mark up a bill to bring to the floor for a vote.

Congressman Sires Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Provide Federal Credit Assistance for America’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Infrastructure.

Jan 29, 2014
(Washington D.C.) - Today, Congressman Sires introduced the New Opportunities for Bicycle and Pedestrian Infrastructure Financing Act of 2014. Modeled after the successful Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA), this bipartisan legislation will allow communities to take advantage of low-cost financing for projects that make our streets and sidewalks safer for all users. This proven model has demonstrated that each dollar of federal financing can provide up to $10 in credit assistance and leverage an additional $30 in private or other public sector funding. Most importantly, by using existing federal transportation funds, this program will not create a single dollar of new government spending.

Congressman Sires Raises Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Concerns

Jan 28, 2014
(Washington D.C.)- Today, Congressman Sires questioned witnesses at a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing as to how the federal government can make our roads safer for all users. The hearing, entitled, “Improving the Effectiveness of the Federal Surface Transportation Safety Grant Programs”, focused broadly on gains in highway safety and the important role the federal government has played in reducing roadway fatalities. However, Congressman Sires pointed out that while traffic fatalities have shown a downward trend, bicycle, pedestrian, and motorcycle deaths have increased sharply.

Rep. Smith reintroduces freight infrastructure reinvestment bill

Jan 13, 2014

Sires celebrates funding for transit resiliency projects

Jan 10, 2014

Commuters rally to restore tax break

Jan 10, 2014

Rep. Sires Applauds $3 Billion in Grant Funding for Transit Resiliency Projects

Dec 23, 2013
(Washington, D.C.)—Today, Congressman Albio Sires welcomed the announcement that $3 billion in competitive grant funding through the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Hurricane Sandy Resilience Program will be made available for public transportation resiliency projects in regions affected by Hurricane Sandy, including New Jersey. Earlier this month, Congressman Sires urged FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff to provide the additional grant funding as expeditiously as possible so that New Jersey can continue addressing future transit vulnerabilities.

Congressman Sires Pushes for Release of Sandy Resiliency Funding

Dec 12, 2013

December 11, 2013- Congressman Sires pressed FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff for the expedient release of approximately $3 billion in infrastructure resiliency funding for the Northeast region at a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Hearing.  The Federal Transit Administration has already allocated $1.3 billion from the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2012 for locally prioritized resiliency projects.  Administrator Rogoff indicated that the additional $3 billion is on track to be released before the end of the year, a portion of which will help address future vulnerabili

Washington Review, October 31, 2013

Oct 31, 2013
This was an important week for the specially appointed Panel on 21st Century Freight Transportation. After six months of deliberation, the Panel completed its mission. Less than a week after Congress voted 417 to 3 in favor of a major transportation authorization bill, I was joined by my colleagues on the Panel on 21st Century Freight Transportation to announce a series of bipartisan recommendations in our report to Congress. The findings of the Panel will play a key role in the development of a long-term surface transportation bill which is expected to be completed before the end of 2014. These common sense, bipartisan recommendations will also help ensure that New Jersey remains competitive and will ensure that our nation, which moves nearly $20 trillion in goods on our transportation network each year, remains competitive.

Sires Introduces Bipartisan Freight Panel Final Recommendations

Oct 29, 2013
(Washington, D.C.)- Today, Congressman Albio Sires joined his colleagues to introduce the final recommendations of the specially appointed “Panel on 21st Century Freight Transportation.” The ad-hoc subcommittee has met over the past six months to examine the role freight transportation plays in the U.S. economy and how the federal government can work to increase the efficiency, safety, and security of our critical transportation network.

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