President touts Houston transit in jobs speech

Jackson-Lee: provides jobs

David Crossley, Sep 08, 11.

President Obama in his call for an American Jobs Act told Congress Thursday night that, among other projects, there’s “A public transit project in Houston that will help clear up one of the worst areas of traffic in the country.”

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee said “The president mentioned the Houston public transit funding – that’s the first time the project has been mentioned by a president since I came to Congress in 1994. Until now the project has been ambling along. It’s a project that provides jobs as well as improve mobility.”

Several other regional members of Congress ignored the President’s reference.

Jerome Gray, Metro’s vice president and senior press officer,told Houston Tomorrow “Obviously, we are very pleased to hear the President talk about public transit projects.  370,000 times a day people rely on various METRO services and the need for public transportation will be crucial as our region continues to grow.

From the President’s speech:

Everyone here knows that we have badly decaying roads and bridges all over this country. Our highways are clogged with traffic. Our skies are the most congested in the world.

This is inexcusable. Building a world-class transportation system is part of what made us an economic superpower. And now we’re going to sit back and watch China build newer airports and faster railroads? At a time when millions of unemployed construction workers could build them right here in America?

There are private construction companies all across America just waiting to get to work. There’s a bridge that needs repair between Ohio and Kentucky that’s on one of the busiest trucking routes in North America. A public transit project in Houston that will help clear up one of the worst areas of traffic in the country. And there are schools throughout this country that desperately need renovating. How can we expect our kids to do their best in places that are literally falling apart? This is America. Every child deserves a great school – and we can give it to them, if we act now.

The American Jobs Act will repair and modernize at least 35,000 schools. It will put people to work right now fixing roofs and windows; installing science labs and high-speed internet in classrooms all across this country.

More from Houston

Comments

Page 1 of 1 pages