When President Eisenhower signed the law calling for construction of a national interstate system, few imagined the growth it would promote. Over the next half century, highway construction created countless jobs and grew businesses by simplifying shipping and long-distance travel.
Over 50 years later, this same infrastructure system is crumbling. Just this month, Indiana officials closed a bridge to Louisville used by more than 80,000 people daily due to potentially hazardous cracks. This is just one example.
By investing in our infrastructure now, we can not only protect drivers by fixing hazards, but also, we can spur the job creation we saw 50 years ago. Even the most conservative estimates indicate hundreds of thousands of jobs could be created through nationwide investment. Leadership in Congress must not pass up this critical opportunity to put Americans back to work.
But Congress should not stop there. The connection between transportation policy and jobs goes beyond refurbishing roads, highways and bridges. We must ensure a strong system of public transit.
Access to affordable and reliable travel through entities like IndyGo often determines which jobs the unemployed can pursue and whether the employed can get to work daily. Yet, despite the critical service IndyGo provides working Hoosiers, misguided regulations and budget cuts are keeping it from expanding into neighborhoods that desperately need bus service.
I have worked with IndyGo and the Central Indiana Regional Transit Authority to craft three pieces of legislation I recently introduced in the House of Representatives to address these needs.
The Carson Community Transit Promotion Act helps non-profit community organizations qualify for the funding they need to provide transportation to seniors, those with limited means, and those with disabilities in areas IndyGo does not cover.
The Carson Modernizing Public Transit Act promotes transit investment, including expansion of bus routes and construction of passenger rail lines. Under this bill, Indianapolis will no longer be at a disadvantage when applying for transit grants simply because our population is spread over a broad area.
And finally, the Carson Protecting Transit Through Increased Flexibility Act recognizes that even with a more robust system, transit providers may still face budget shortfalls in the future. My bill provides the flexibility to use federal funds to maintain service for riders and lessen their worry about cuts to the routes upon which they rely.
Public transit has the potential to be the next revolution in economic development, just like the development of our interstate system was in the 1950s. It leads to jobs constructing new lines, manufacturing buses and trains, and operating new routes. It attracts new businesses that will need to hire employees. And it allows the unemployed to expand their job searches beyond their immediate neighborhoods.
Bills like the ones I recently introduced are simple solutions to some of the biggest obstacles facing many of our nation’s cities, but they require congressional action. I hope Congress will give attention to the job creation potential of public transit as part of the debate over infrastructure investment.
It is time for Congress to give our cities the support they need to grow public transit and start putting Americans back to work.
André Carson is the U.S. Representative in Congress from Indiana’s 7th District which is entirely in Marion County.
