WASHINGTON - Following the passage of legislation to fund highway and infrastructure programs across the country, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) today issued the following statement:
"Every day this Congress failed to pass a new transportation bill, we were neglecting job creation and safer roads and bridges back home. This legislation is far from ideal, but it was the best Congress could agree on and it will benefit the economy in the long-run.
"Federal transportation dollars support over 14,000 highway and transit jobs in New Mexico alone. Passing this bill enables the state to better plan for much-needed improvements to rural and urban roads and infrastructure and create the jobs that come with those tasks.
"I'm also pleased that my ROADS SAFE legislation to develop new technologies to reduce drunk driving crashes was included in the package. Drunk driving is a completely preventable tragedy that destroys thousands of lives each year in the United States. New Mexico has become a leader in keeping drunk drivers off the road but we need to do more. This bill provides the means to develop new strategies with the goal of ending drunk driving in sight."
