In response to President Obama’s State of the Union address given the evening of Jan. 25, American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) President & CEO Pete Ruane released a press statement noting that Congress and the President need to work collaboratively and in a bipartisan way to create and invest in more jobs and “get off the path to a second-rate economy.”

Ruane’s statement follows:

“The time is long past due for Congress and the President to work together in a bipartisan manner to develop and invest in a strategic, national transportation plan that is transparent, performance driven, and provides the personal mobility, transportation hubs, and multi-modal, critical commerce corridors America needs to remain an economic superpower.

“Over the last decade, our international competitors have been heavily investing in well-thought out national transportation development programs featuring state-of-the-art design, materials, and excess capacity for future growth. Meanwhile, we’ve been trying to shoehorn one of the 21st century’s largest economies and an ever-growing population into a severely constrained 20th Century transportation network. It’s time to get off the path to a second-rate economy and invest for future growth and American jobs.”