Slater says that  coupled with the Keystone XL pipeline approval, “a final highway bill has the potential to jump start the construction industry across this country as we head into the construction season. Therefore, the timing of this legislation is critical.”

U.S. Congressman Jason Altmire (Pa.-04), a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, voted in favor of the latest extension. Despite voting for the short-term extension, he says that it doesn’t eliminate the need for a long-term solution.

“Inaction by Congress to produce a long-term reauthorization of our surface transportation programs is not an option,” Altmire said in a written statement after the vote. Altmire says the area the economy of Western Pennsylvania, the area he represents in Congress, depends on solid infrastructure, but “our roads and bridges are crumbling.

“An extension of these programs immediately creates jobs and helps strengthen our infrastructure to meet our growing economic needs, but a long-term reauthorization is our goal,” Altmire said. “Western Pennsylvania is doing its part to reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources, but we cannot do it alone. The Keystone pipeline will create thousands of jobs, and is one of the most important economic investments we can make. The construction of the Keystone pipeline will lower the cost of fuel for millions of American families. This is a vital project and we must work to get construction underway.”