U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) delivered the Weekly Republican Address Saturday, where he spoke about a long-term transportation bill currently under consideration in the chamber.
Inhofe said the currently federal highway system had a 50-year design life when it was implemented more than 60 years ago.
“Maintaining Eisenhower’s vision of economic opportunity and strength in defense requires a continued partnership between the federal government and the states,” Inhofe said.
The U.S. Department of Transportation rates 54 percent of the country's major roads as either poor or mediocre, with one in four bridges requiring significant repair.
“Unfortunately, since 2009, Congress has passed 33 short-term patches,” Inhofe said. “This has resulted in highway dollars being spent only on maintenance and basic tasks, like filling potholes.”
Inhofe said congestion related to poor infrastructure led to Americans spending 5.5 billion hours in traffic, and three billion gallons of gas wasted in 2011 due to sitting in traffic. The state's senior Republican chairs the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee, and co-sponsored the so-called federal DRIVE Act with U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.)
Inhofe called the bipartisan bill he authored with the ranking Democrat the committee's top priority for the term.
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