REMARKS FOR
THE HONORABLE MARY E. PETERS
SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION


WOODROW WILSON BRIDGE DEDICATION
ALEXANDRIA, VA

MAY 15, 2008
11:00 AM

Thank you, Federal Highway Acting Administrator Jim Ray, for that kind introduction.

On behalf of President Bush, it is an honor to be here today to dedicate this magnificent new bridge across the Potomac River.

I want to congratulate Governor Kaine, Governor O’Malley, and all the members of the Virginia, Maryland, and D.C. congressional delegations who have worked so hard to make this day a reality, as well as my predecessor, former Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater.

I also want to recognize former Federal Highway Administration Executive Director Bud Wright, and especially our Team Leader Jitesh Parikh and all of the dedicated FHWA employees – and those from the Virginia, Maryland and District Departments of Transportation, as well as the many private-sector contractors and all the federal and local government officials – who have worked for so long and so hard on a project that is already receiving international acclaim. I know what a proud day this is for all of you, and congratulations on years of fine work and today’s great success.

And I especially want to recognize Senator John Warner, who should really be called the godfather of the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge. For more than two decades, Senator Warner’s dogged determination and persistent pressure moved concrete, steel, and more than a few minds to get this bridge completed. Today, it stands as a tribute to your proud legacy of public service on behalf of Virginia and the nation.

It is an interesting historical coincidence that the decision to build the original bridge in President Wilson’s name was made the very same year that President Eisenhower signed the landmark Highway Act that gave birth to the Interstate Highway System.

For almost 40 years, the old bridge carried more traffic than its designed capacity. Commuters sat in rush-hour bridge backups that stretched deep into Maryland and Virginia, and the Wilson Bridge became known as one of the most notorious chokepoints for freight and travelers headed up and down the East Coast on Interstate 95.

Over the same time period, our approach to funding and building transportation infrastructure has become just as obsolete, which is something we are working very hard to change.

The 21st Century has given us the ability to complete more large-scale projects like this one in years, not decades. In addition to the record amount of federal dollars we are putting into the transportation today, the private sector has over $400 billion ready to invest in infrastructure.

Governor Kaine knows what I am talking about. Virginia is already taking advantage of the powerful combination of open road tolling and private capital to finance and accelerate major projects. There is no reason why every state in the nation cannot join that list. And we are eager to work with the region to develop innovative approaches for ensuring the remaining capacity of the new Wilson Bridge is used efficiently.

I would like to think the dedication of the new Wilson Bridge will mark a turning point. Today should be remembered not only as the day we welcome a new bridge, but as the day we say good-bye to the old way of building mega transportation projects.

So as we celebrate, let us look forward to a future where opening these types of grand, new bridges is an everyday part of the fabric of American life.

Thank you.

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