[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 10 (Monday, February 2, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S336]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         IMPORTANCE OF S. 1072

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I would like to take a few minutes to 
comment on the importance of proceeding to the highway bill which will 
be the focus of this institution over the next 2 weeks. At 5:45 today 
we will have the cloture vote on the motion to proceed to the highway 
bill. I do hope cloture will be invoked and we will be able to begin 
consideration of this vitally important bill.
  In the next few moments, I want to share why I believe this bill is 
so important to us, to the American people and, thus, we need to invoke 
cloture. There is broad support for this legislation here in the Senate 
as well as all across America. We will spend the next couple of weeks 
considering it on the Senate floor. A number of Senate committees are 
involved in this important bill, including the Environment and Public 
Works Committee, the Commerce Committee, the Banking Committee, the 
Finance Committee--all have vital and critical pieces of this bill. We 
will work through their various committee amendments over the next 2 
weeks.
  It is key that we focus our full attention on this legislation. 
America's transportation infrastructure is crucial to our vibrant 
economy, to our growing economy today. America is interlaced with over 
4 million miles of roads and highways. Our transportation 
infrastructure is estimated to be worth more than $1.75 trillion. The 
interstate highway system has often been called the greatest public 
works project in history. Every $1 billion we invest in transportation 
infrastructure generates more than $2 billion in economic activity and 
creates more than 47,000 new jobs.
  Our roads, our ports, our railroads are vital to America's economic 
success. We know this well in my home State of Tennessee where 
companies such as Federal Express, Averitt Express, and U.S. Express 
are located. The success of these companies is dependent on the quality 
of our Nation's infrastructure.
  Around the Nation, America's transportation infrastructure is 
deteriorating badly and becoming painfully overcrowded. America's roads 
especially are not keeping up. You can ask any American commuter. There 
is bumper-to-bumper traffic, not just during rush hour but all day 
long. Indeed, in our Nation's urban areas, traffic delays have more 
than tripled over the past 20 years. That is not just in the larger 
cities--New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles. In Raleigh-Durham, commuting 
time has gone up nearly 25 percent in 10 years. In Charlotte, traffic 
congestion has added 39 additional commuting hours per year, the 
equivalent of nearly an entire week stuck in traffic.
  In Tennessee, traffic congestion has increased in all our major 
metropolitan areas. In my hometown of Nashville, commuters drive an 
average of 32 miles per day. Metropolitan planning organizations are 
struggling to meet demand.
  It is estimated that Americans suffer through more than 3.6 billion 
hours in delays and waste over 5.7 billion gallons of fuel per year 
just sitting in traffic. These transportation delays ripple through our 
Nation's economic sector and result in lost productivity, lost wages, 
and lost jobs.
  We cannot ask our fellow citizens to join the great American 
workforce and then stand idly by while our roads decay and that daily 
commute to work stretches from minutes into hours. It is a jobs issue. 
This bill is a quality-of-life issue, and it is a serious safety issue 
as well. More time on the road translates into more accidents; 41,000 
travelers are killed each year on our worsening roads, and over 3 
million people are injured.
  As our highways become more and more congested, drivers begin to take 
alternate routes on town streets, which we know exposes them to even 
greater danger. Passing the highway bill is lifesaving. It will save an 
estimated 4,000 lives each year by simply improving our roads and 
educating the public about road safety. In Tennessee, our State highway 
department is investing in measures to reduce traffic-related 
fatalities. States across the country will need additional resources to 
make similar improvements.
  Passing the highway bill will also improve the mass transit system 
that is so vital to our thriving urban centers. With new and modernized 
vehicles and facilities, mass transit is gaining in popularity. The 
Department of Transportation reports that from 1997 to 2000, passenger 
mileage on mass transit increased by 125 percent. More people are using 
trains more frequently not just to get to work but to run errands and 
to travel. Passenger mileage on trains has gone up 16 percent. But like 
our roads, our transit system is not keeping up. Average rail operating 
speeds have actually declined since 1997 as trains are older and we are 
using slower rail systems. As daily commuters can testify, trains are 
getting more and more crowded as well.
  The Department of Transportation warns that as the Nation's 
population continues to increase and more people live in urban areas, 
the need for investment in transit infrastructure will continue to 
grow.
  Finally, the bill we have before us that we will begin to consider is 
the result of a long bipartisan process. It is based on more than 2 
years of work, including 13 hearings and testimony from over 100 
witnesses. The highway bill is a fair and comprehensive package that 
will benefit the entire Nation. From highways and bridges to bike 
paths, this bill will make our transportation safer, more efficient, 
and will stimulate job creation. Indeed, it is estimated that the 
highway bill under consideration will add a whopping 2 million jobs to 
the economy.
  Our vast and interconnecting highways are emblematic of our great 
American spirit, our love of adventure, and our drive toward the 
unknown. Our highways, our bridges, our roads, our ports, and our 
trains are in fact very much the physical expression of the very name 
we bear, uniting the States of America. I urge my colleagues to take 
swift action to pass this legislation. We must work together to 
continue to move America forward.
  I yield the floor.

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