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Cincinnati
Enquirer…
Innovative
thinking can fund our infrastructure
Aug. 13,
2012
Written by
Ellen van der Horst
President
& CEO of the Cincinnati Regional Chamber of Commerce
Just as
innovation leads to improvements in the way we do business, innovative
thinking
can also lead to improvements in the way we fund infrastructure. And
the need
for innovative thinking is more important now than ever.
Investment in
transportation
infrastructure is critical to the growth of our economy. It impacts the
very
core of our economic competitiveness.
Businesses
depend on a transportation network that is safe, reliable and
cost-effective.
As congestion increases, the movement of product and people slows,
adding
significantly to the cost of doing business and crippling our ability
to
compete.
That is why
the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber has been vocal in its support for
rebuilding the Brent Spence Bridge and building a new $60 million
interchange
at Interstate 71 and Martin Luther King Drive. Both projects are
essential to
the effectiveness of our regional transportation system. They must be
funded
now. But there is no money, and the reasons are clear. A sputtering
economy,
high fuel prices, inflation and more fuel-efficient vehicles make for
fewer
dollars to fund transportation.
Some say
that Washington will fund our rails, roads and bridges, but that’s
wishful
thinking. In fact, Washington has struggled to fund a long-term
transportation
bill at a level adequate to meet our increasing transportation
infrastructure
needs. To its credit, a bill was passed in June, but the funding
remains at
2005 levels.
Read the
rest of this article at the Cincinnati Enquirer
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