Secretary Anthony Foxx
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery
New York MOVES Conference
New York City – July 22, 2015
I know that a big focus of this conference is to drill down on the infrastructure projects that are key to New York’s future. And I thought – as a way of getting into this discussion – that I would start by telling a story from my own life about my grandparents and my mom.
My grandparents were on a fixed income most of my life. They had been school teachers and then retired. And as I was coming along they would occasionally find themselves in a quandary among all the expenditures they had to take care of. Occasionally I would have a field trip that would come up, for example, and there’d be this conversation about what wouldn’t get done so I could go. And every single time they took the last dollar they had and put it on the table so I could expand my mind and go forward.
I think that is how you get these amazing stories that we take pride in as Americans: people who despite the odds are able to overcome things and live lives of significance and contribute back to the public. But without that initial sacrifice, I wouldn’t be here. And when I think about all the work that’s gone into allowing us to have the safest, most efficient, most effective transportation system in the world, it’s really the product of generations investing in future generations, much the same way as my grandparents did.
To be in New York City is to be constantly reminded of this aspect of our history. You think back to the challenges that were overcome and the choices that were made here in the first years of the previous century. New York had established itself as a premiere port city. It was an engine for the nation’s economy. But the city was also starting to outgrow its infrastructure. Back then, there was only one railroad and one major bridge coming into Manhattan. So when Cassatt proposed his vision for the rail tunnels going from New Jersey into Manhattan, can you really blame the folks who spoke out saying the whole idea sounded kind of crazy? We’re talking about teams of workers mining through silt 24-7. They did this below two of the most geologically complex waterways in the world.
Now obviously the conditions incentivizing that project were a little different. But I still think it shows us that, today, we don’t have an engineering challenge. It isn’t a steel and concrete challenge. We have the knowledge. We do have the wherewithal, even. The problem is that we know we live in a growing country that’s going to add 70 million more people in the next 30 years. And we know that everything we build has a shelf life. And we know what needs to be done – for instance, building new rail tunnels for the 21st century. What we’re lacking right now, though, is the resolve and mettle of previous generations to find a way to complete those major efforts like building the tunnels to the Gateway Project that keep us sharp in the global economy. This is perhaps one of the most important projects in the country right now that isn’t getting done. It’s really emblematic of where we are right now as a country.
The other side of the coin is, we need to undo some of the shortcomings inherent in how a lot of our infrastructure was built. Historically we have valued throughput while paying far less attention to the actual places in between. The other day I read a story in the New York Times about Tompkinsville on Staten Island, where Eric Garner died last year. This is a community that was basically cut off by the Staten Island Expressway – to the point where, as the story says, Tompkinsville “can almost seem like an island of its own.”
Tompkinsville is not an isolated case. There are more such islands isolated by highways and railroad tracks. I experienced this myself in the neighborhood I grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina. I’ve seen them in places like Birmingham, Alabama and Columbus, Ohio. So I want to mention just two ways we are trying to both get back in the business of really building again, but also building smarter.
First, we’ve put forward the GROW AMERICA Act. This is a 21st century transportation bill that will provide funding growth and certainty so we can get off the sidelines and start building as a country. Ours is a six-year, $478 billion proposal that would increase our investment in surface transportation by 45 percent. That includes providing a 22 percent increase for highways, providing a 76 percent increase for transit, and putting passenger rail on a dedicated funding track.
Second, we are working to create a new vision of how transportation can become more inclusive, how it can revitalize and connect communities, and how it can lift people up who are struggling to get into the middle class. We’re investing in new buses and helping fast-growing cities implement bus-rapid transit. We’re helping communities develop more inclusive plans that better connect disadvantaged people to jobs and services. We’ve also launched what we call a LadderSTEP pilot program in seven cities, where we’re helping mayors complete transportation projects that’ll help remove barriers to opportunities and promote good economic development.
Another big piece of this, though, is supporting the evolution of street designs that are safer and more accessible for everyone who uses them, including folks who walk and ride bicycles. New York City is leading the way on the issue. You’ve worked hard to achieve significant reductions in the numbers of people getting struck and killed by vehicles in this city. But the reality is – every two hours – a New Yorker is seriously injured or killed by a vehicle. So leaders in this city know we need to do more, and so do we. And really, there are two ways we are tackling this issue.
First, we are supporting Vision Zero and other similar initiatives that cities and communities have. We’re doing this by funding projects as we did in our last round of TIGER, or by partnering as we have with Mayor DeBlasio, Commissioner Trottenberg, and more than 200 mayors across the country to ensure that our streets are safe and get people home.
Second, we’re very bullish when it comes to supporting the implementation of automation and connected vehicle technologies. Imagine a day where tragedies at cross walks are averted because technology won’t allow drivers to run red lights or enter into an intersection when they shouldn’t. Imagine how this would change the game for safety and connectivity.
Going back to what I said about reclaiming that resolve to go big, obviously that resolve is very much present in this room. But frankly, building infrastructure is a chain of partnerships across the public and private sectors. And all it takes is one weak link and that whole chain falls apart – especially when that weak link is Washington. Who here has a two-month project, a 10-month project, even a two-year one? And yet, in Washington, short-term funding extensions have become a cause for celebration.
Before I take some questions, I’ll just say that this era of funding uncertainty we’re in is the biggest fundamental obstacle facing us in transportation. It’s a losing streak that needs to be snapped.
The Senate has put a long-term bill on the table. We are looking at it closely to see if it will adequately meet the needs of our country and improve – not undermine – safety. And my “ask,” to all of you, is to keep pushing with us. Keep pushing, and stay focused on securing the certainty and the funding growth you need to get projects designed and built.
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