[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 958]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       REGARDING THE INTRODUCITON OF SPIRIT CORRIDOR LEGISLATION

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TOM UDALL

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 26, 2005

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to 
rise today to introduce companion legislation to a bill being 
introduced by Senator Bingaman of New Mexico in the Senate. The Senator 
and I also introduced this legislation during the 108th Congress and I 
am hopeful that we will make further progress on this issue during this 
session.
  I am also very pleased to be joined once again by my colleagues Mr. 
Jerry Moran of Kansas, Mr. Frank Lucas of Oklahoma, Mr. Mac Thornberry, 
Mr. Silvestre Reyes and Mr. Randy Neugebauer of Texas, and Mr. Steve 
Pearce, one of my colleagues in the New Mexico delegation, in 
introducing this legislation. Each of these Members were cosponsors 
last Congress and are demonstrating their commitment to achieving this 
corridor designation by joining me again.
  This bill seeks to designate U.S. Highway 54 as a high priority 
corridor on the National Highway System. The corridor would be known as 
the Southwest Passage Initiative for Regional and Interstate 
Transportation Corridor, or the SPIRIT Corridor. U.S. 54 runs from the 
border with Mexico at El Paso, Texas, through New Mexico, Texas, and 
Oklahoma, to Wichita, Kansas. This legislation will help improve 
transportation infrastructure and stimulate economic development in the 
communities and states through which U.S. Highway 54 passes.
  Mr. Speaker, those who live in the eastern United States know that 
communities are more compact and the commutes much shorter. For the 
intermountain west, on the other hand, it is not unheard of for people 
to have to commute 80 miles to work and 80 miles back home. That is 
just one of the reasons designating U.S. 54 as a high priority corridor 
is so important to improving the transportation infrastructure and 
promoting economic development. Safe and efficient highways are 
critical to all types of traffic, whether it be tourists visiting or 
goods being shipped from point to point. Designating U.S. 54 as a High 
Priority Corridor will make it eligible for additional federal grants 
and transportation funds, which will, in turn, help upgrade the highway 
and improve its safety and efficiency.
  I was pleased that the SPIRIT Corridor designation was included in 
H.R. 3550 during the 108th Congress, and will again seek inclusion of 
the designation in any transportation reauthorization legislation we 
consider this session. I urge my colleagues in the House to support the 
addition of the SPIRIT Corridor to the list of high priority corridors 
in our National Highway System.

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