[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 17316]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     REBUILDING OUR INFRASTRUCTURE

  (Mr. SIRES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. SIRES. Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the 
great need to update our Nation's infrastructure and, in particular, 
bridges. Bridges play a vital role in moving people and goods, and far 
too many of our bridges are falling into a state of disrepair.
  Our Nation has a total of 600,000 bridges, with over 65,000 being 
deemed deficient. That means 11\1/2\ percent of our Nation's bridges 
are considered deficient and require significant maintenance, 
rehabilitation or replacement. In the New Jersey portion of New York 
City metropolitan area, over 8 million vehicles cross a deficient 
bridge every day.
  The infrastructure in the United States is crumbling, and the backlog 
of deficient bridges is growing. Congress has not been able to pass a 
long-term transportation funding bill for 2 years. We are still working 
on a fiscal year 2012 budget that will provide States with important 
transportation funding.
  This year the construction industry has been suffering from 
unemployment rates of up to 20 percent. Investing in bridges will 
create jobs today, keep Americans safe, and ensure economic development 
for the future.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to pass legislation to strengthen 
our transportation infrastructure and put people back to work.

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