Indiana is the Crossroads of America. Our roads, highways, bridges and public transit are the backbone of our economy, impacting how we get to work and school, how much our homes are worth, and how much groceries cost at the store. The availability and quality of transportation infrastructure determines where companies locate and where jobs are created.
Yet, despite its critical importance to our lives and our economy, we have allowed our nation’s infrastructure to fall into a state of disrepair. Today, we spend less on infrastructure as a percentage of GDP than at any time in the past twenty years, and the results are plain to see. Every day, Americans get stuck in traffic jams, drive on potholed roads, or face unacceptably long waits for public transportation. Meanwhile, local governments are stuck finding a way to pay for expensive modernization that becomes more costly every day that deterioration continues.
In Washington, I am working hard to ensure that your tax dollars come back to Indianapolis to help pay for our most important projects. Most recently, Congress agreed to provide $50 million dollars to Indianapolis to improve and expand our public transit system. The money will go to build the nation’s first battery-powered bus rapid transit system extending from Fountain Square to Broad Ripple. More than 54,000 residents, 144,000 jobs, three universities, and 6,000 households below the poverty line will be within walking distance of the Red Line.
The Red Line will transform communities by improving mobility and access to jobs, education and other important opportunities for thousands of people. It will be the foundation of a growing transit system, which will serve an increasing number of Hoosiers as time goes on. This project is an important tool in the effort to ensure that hard working Hoosiers are offered a chance to succeed.
Of course, I understand that many Hoosiers do not utilize public transit on a regular basis. They may wish that these funds would go to housing, education or the arts. My response is that Indianapolis is a modern city and as such we need all of these critical priorities. But when it comes to public transit, we cannot simply push it off until next year. Delay means that families have to wait to connect with new jobs, businesses wait for access to new talent, and seniors wait for easier access to their doctor. This federal investment in our transit system is a unique opportunity and we need to seize it, for the future of our entire city.
I take great pride in knowing that my work on the Transportation Committee in Congress is making a direct impact in Indianapolis. If you are interested in more information about my work in Washington and at home or if there is anything I can do for you, please contact my office at 317-283-6516.
