Newsletters
| Transit & Infrastructure
Newsletters
| Economic & Community Development, Housing, Transit & Infrastructure
- Newsletters
- | Economic & Community Development, Housing, Transit & Infrastructure
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, Co-Chair of Accelerator for America’s Advisory Council, testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on July 16, highlighting the critical impact that federal funding plays in helping cities build and maintain safe and resilient infrastructure as Congress considers reauthorization of the surface transportation bill.
Read Mayor Gallego’s opening remarks
Local infrastructure needs outpace local funding capacity, Mayor Gallego noted. “It is essential that the funding levels from (the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act) continue or, better yet, increase to allow states, tribes, and local governments to carry on the essential work that law spearheaded.”
Federal funding is vital to helping cities, counties, tribes, and states take on large, complex transportation and infrastructure projects that improve safety, reduce congestion, and support economic growth. Using federal funds, Phoenix and other localities can invest in projects that make a direct impact for Americans.
“When I was recruiting our largest economic development deal, a semiconductor manufacturer, to come to Phoenix, I spoke about our commitment to investing in transportation infrastructure to support their investment. That mattered,” said Mayor Gallego. “TSMC is now investing $165 billion in our city, and the federal government has partnered with us to invest in freeway infrastructure to support these advanced industry jobs. This partnership means that we, Americans, once again make the most advanced chips in the world – important for our national security.”
Mayor Gallego repeatedly noted the effects that rising temperatures are having on her city, with Phoenix experiencing 31 straight days of temperatures above 110 degrees in 2024. Nationwide, heat is the number one weather-related cause of death.
“We have to design a transportation system that is resilient. We need the right building materials for our roads. We need to make sure our transit hubs have shade and are comfortable so people are safe,” she told the Committee.
When asked about the PROTECT (Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation) Program by Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Maryland), Mayor Gallego noted that the program plays an important role in a community’s ability to adapt its infrastructure to extreme weather by allowing local leaders to take risks and test new innovations that protect infrastructure and people from extreme heat.
Gallego also called for continued support for the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program. Phoenix ranks in the top three cities in the nation for overall traffic fatalities. SS4A Grants have allowed Phoenix to implement proven safety measures designed to address issues involving pedestrians, bicyclists, people taking transit, and drivers.
“One moment that I will always carry with me was speaking with a father who lost his daughter due to a traffic accident – he gave me a picture of her and asked me to make sure it never happened again to another parent. I still have her photo,” she said. “As a result of the SS4A Grant Program, we have been able to address some of the safety issues on the roads that took his daughter’s life.”
Mayor Gallego emphasized the importance of the federal government sending these critical funds directly to local governments, in addition to states, noting that more than 75 percent of road miles are owned by cities and counties, as well as more than half of our bridges and the majority of our public transit systems.
Accelerator for America was founded to support local leaders working to improve transit and infrastructure in their communities. Transit and infrastructure play key roles in economic and community development and create family-supporting wage jobs for local residents.
AFA works with communities to generate local infrastructure funds and to maximize the impact of the historic federal investment in infrastructure. We leverage infrastructure development to create life-changing careers in construction trades and professional services, drive small business procurement opportunities, strengthen and connect communities, and create generational wealth.
Through AFA Action, our sister 501(c)4, we have helped communities secure $75 billion for infrastructure at the ballot box, serving as trusted advisors to mayors and other leaders and played key roles in campaign development and execution.
AFA Action also oversees United for Infrastructure (UFI), the nation’s leading advocacy organization for federal infrastructure investment. UFI is mobilizing a broad bipartisan coalition to push for a strong surface transportation reauthorization bill to secure long-term funding and keep the nation moving forward. Learn more at UnitedforInfrastructure.org.
