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Congressman And Other Officials Call For Federal Funding For Improving Roads And Bridges

By Kim Glovas

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Congressman Brendan Boyle, former Governor Ed Rendell and others called for Congress to vote on putting money into the Highway Trust Fund before the fund expires in two weeks.

That fund pays for improvement to roads, bridges and transit across the country.

 

The group cited the 2014 Report Card for Pennsylvania's Infrastructure by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Chair Ann Tomalavage says, "A "D+" for bridges, "D-" for roads, and "D" for transit. And, as the congressman said, if he brought those grades home, he would have been grounded, So would I."

Boyle says a vote on infrastructure funding is being held up by the Freedom Caucus, which forced the ouster of Speaker John Boehner, and made Kevin McCarthy turn down the post.

But,"What I'm appealing to is for voters, for constituents, to put as much pressure as possible their elected officials to say bring this up for a vote, and the irony is, if it is allowed to come up for a vote, it would probably pass by over a hundred votes."

He says it would also create good paying jobs which could not be outsourced.

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