Contractors urge to include infrastructure investment

Members of the Associated General Contractors of America, Washington, D.C., today urged House Democrats to develop an economic recovery plan that includes provisionsto boost construction activity during an Economic Forum with leading economists, according to an Oct. 13 AGC release.

"A significant boost to construction in the form of increased infrastructure investment will create jobs and increase the quality of life for millions of Americans who rely daily on our nation's infrastructure, from roads and bridges, to water systems and schools," said Stephen E. Sandherr, AGC CEO, in the release. "We congratulate the House on passage of a stimulus appropriations bill prior to adjournment on Oct. 3, and we urge the senators, who rejected a stimulus bill on Sept. 26, to reconsider."

In late September, the House passed an economic stimulus bill (264-158) that included approximately $34 billion for infrastructure investment, including $12.8 billion for the federal-aid highway program; $3.6 billion for transit; $600 million for airport capital improvement projects; $7.5 billion for water infrastructure; $5 billion for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; $3 billion for public school reconstruction; $500 million for Amtrak; and $1 billion for public housing construction, according to the release. A similar bill in the Senate failed on a procedural vote (52-42).

It is estimated that $100 billion of new infrastructure projects have been delayed due to the reduced credit market. Coupled with construction materials cost inflation, fewer contracts are going out to bid, resulting in 52,000 lost construction jobs and a further deteriorating national infrastructure, according to the release.