Inquires About Any Barriers that Need to Be Addressed to Speed Up Projects

Friday, June 12, 2009

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada’s Third District sent the following letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood yesterday expressing her concerns that recovery funding for Southern Nevada has not gotten off to a quick enough start and inquiring about any structural or procedural barriers that need to be address to speed up the process.

Below is the text of the letter:

June 11, 2009

The Honorable Ray LaHood
Secretary
United States Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Ave, SE
Washington, D.C. 20590

Dear Secretary LaHood:

As a supporter of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in Congress, I strongly endorse President Obama’s efforts to accelerate implementation of this important legislation.

My Congressional District in Clark County, Nevada, has been particularly hard hit by the current economic recession.  I supported ARRA on the promise that it would jumpstart our economy and save or create thousands of jobs.  I was particularly proud of the investments this legislation made in our aging transportation system.  However, I am concerned that ARRA has not gotten off to a quick enough start in Southern Nevada.

Like President Obama, I believe that we must ensure recovery funds are going out to needy communities as quickly and efficiently as possible.  As you know, on May 21, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, of which I am a member, released a report showing that Nevada had not begun work on any highway infrastructure projects.  While Nevada is not the only state in this position, and while it is possible that work could have begun in the time since that snapshot was taken, it remains unsettling that our state appears to be moving more slowly than many others.  Accordingly, I ask that you provide me with information regarding any structural or procedural barriers that may be impeding Nevada from getting off to a faster start on its ready-to-go ARRA transportation projects.

I am pleased to see that there are plans to begin rehabilitation and improvement projects at over 1,500 highway locations throughout the country over the course of the next hundred days, and it is my hope that a number of these projects will be in Southern Nevada.  These projects will put shovels in the ground, improve our aging infrastructure, and help both the unemployed and working families who need it most.

Thank you kindly for your consideration of this request.  I look forward to working with you to ensure the accelerated implementation of this landmark legislation in the coming months.

Sincerely,

Dina Titus
Member of Congress

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Tags: Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Transportation and Infrastructure