Without Highway Bill, 700,000 Jobs at Risk

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

If Congress doesn’t act soon, more than 700,000 middle class jobs building the nation’s highways, bridges and transit systems will be at risk. While the legislation authorizing the spending for those vital projects doesn’t expire until Sept. 30, the Highway Trust Fund that helps states pay for transportation construction and upkeep is running out of money and layoffs could begin later next month. Construction workers and others involved in road and bridge building and repairs, including stone suppliers and concrete makers, rallied on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, demanding that Congress fix the fund so that projects can proceed. 

photo: Bob Migliaccio, Rodmen 201, at the Capitol Hill rally; photo by Dick Uliano

Based on reports on the AFL-CIO Now blog and WTOP.