Business, Construction Groups Unite
In Call Prioritizing Infrastructure Needs
WASHINGTON— More than 60 leading organizations spanning the U.S. economy sent a clear and unified message to House and Senate transportation committee leaders as lawmakers begin drafting the next multi-year transportation legislation. Their singular message to lawmakers is that infrastructure is the “backbone of American commerce and daily life,” and “while progress has been made” in strengthening the U.S. transportation network, “much work remains.”
The Sept. 4 letter, led by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, the Associated General Contractors of America and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, urged lawmakers to use four key principles to guide their efforts:
1. Maintain Baseline Investment Levels for Highways, Public Transit and Multimodal Programs: Highway, bridge and public transit investment levels for FY2026 should, at a minimum, be carried forward with inflation adjustments, regardless of the previous budgetary source of these programs. These investments are needed for safety enhancements, infrastructure rebuild and congestion relief.
2. Maximize State Flexibility: The greatness of our nation is founded in the distinct attributes of all 50 states. An effective national transportation program must provide states with the necessary flexibility and resources through formula funds to meet the unique needs of each community.
3. Prioritize Safety for All System Users: Increased investment and research should be directed at improving roadway, public transit and work zone safety to ensure that the traveling public and construction workers get home safely at the end of each day.
4. Reform Project Delivery to Accelerate Construction and Control Costs: Modernization of federal requirements can identify and eliminate challenges in the environmental review and permitting process that stand in the way of timely project delivery. Strengthening One Federal Decision to ensure its full use and creating a timely waiver process for Buy America, while maintaining existing exemptions for certain construction materials, will help ensure federal investment is focused on building transportation solutions, not process hurdles.
“Together, these principles call for legislation that will help build a transportation system necessary to drive economic prosperity,” the industry coalition’s letter concluded.
Published: September 17, 2025.