RELEASE: Auchincloss Priorities Included in INVEST in America Act
Washington, DC — Today, Congressman Jake Auchincloss (D, MA-04), a member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, voted for Committee passage of the “Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America (INVEST in America) Act,” a transformational surface transportation reauthorization bill that will create good-paying jobs and bring Massachusetts’ infrastructure into the modern era. The INVEST in America Act will now go to the full House for passage.
Following a letter to Chairman Peter DeFazio, key Auchincloss priorities were included in the INVEST in America Act, including programs to reduce transportation emissions, expand transit innovation and build on Massachusetts’ Complete Streets model. In addition, all of Auchincloss’ Member-Designated Transportation Projects were included in the final text of the INVEST in America Act, with half of them receiving full funding:
- Beacon Street Bridle Path — Fully funded at $2,000,000. Restores Frederick Law and John Charles Olmsted’s original design for a two-way multiuse path improving safety and accessibility for pedestrians, wheelchairs, cyclists and micromobility users along the 2.3-mile length of Beacon Street.
- Safety Improvements at Intersection of Walnut Street & Route 140 (Foxborough) — Funded at $2,000,000 ($3,505,000 requested). Supports the necessary signalization of this intersection to complete development of nearly 250 affordable housing units.
- West Street and Route 27 Intersection Improvements (Medfield) — Funded at $1,440,000 ($1,500,000 requested). Enables progression from design to construction of this high crash location to support vehicular and pedestrian safety and the construction of 72 new housing units.
- Christina Street Rail Bridge (Newton) — Funded at $1,600,000 ($2,000,000 requested). Supports reconstruction of an accessible, shared-use bicycle and pedestrian connection between Newton and Needham, with recreational value for residents and off-road connections for employees accessing nearby businesses.
- Regional Bike and Walking Trail (North Attleboro Branch) — Fully funded at $1,500,000. Creates a 2.5 mile off-road, multi-use pathway connecting to a regional pathway network planned in adjacent communities, the town’s WWI Park, the Industrial Park and community schools.
- Taunton River Trail — Fully funded at $4,800,000. Constructs a segment of a planned 22+ mile continuous network of off-road and on-road bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure to connect Taunton, Dighton and Somerset along the Taunton River.
“The smart, forward-looking investments this bill includes for our district will help our communities prosper as we rebuild our economy and embrace modern infrastructure,” said Auchincloss. “By passing the INVEST Act, we will create good jobs by fixing our bridges and ports, upgrading our transit and broadband, supporting affordable housing and home-care, and securing clean water and clean energy. When we tell our kids & grandkids about this period, we’ll say: America was in crisis. We hit a low point. But then we built back better.”
WATCH: Auchincloss remarks during Transportation and Infrastructure Committee mark-up
“I’m grateful to Congressman Auchincloss for successfully advocating for funding for important local projects in the INVEST in America Act,” said State Senator Paul R. Feeney “The infrastructure improvements in Foxborough and Medfield will improve safety and traffic flow at two heavily-used intersections in our communities and have the potential to stimulate future growth in the region by unlocking nearby development opportunities. These projects and each of the priorities included by Congressman Auchincloss will allow us to build back better while investing in jobs, safety, economic development, and vital public infrastructure.”
The INVEST in America Act is the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s $547 billion surface transportation reauthorization bill that will create good-paying jobs to rebuild and re-imagine America’s surface transportation infrastructure. This package helps meet the president’s vision—as laid out in the American Jobs Plan—by investing in American workers and communities of all sizes, while tackling the climate crisis head-on. In addition to other funding, Massachusetts would receive an estimated $4.46 billion in federal-aid highway programs under the act.
“The benefits of transformative investments in our infrastructure are far-ranging: we can create and sustain good-paying jobs, many of which don’t require a college degree, restore our global competitiveness, tackle climate change head-on, and improve the lives of all Americans through modern infrastructure that emphasizes mobility and access, and spurs our country’s long-term economic growth,” Chair DeFazio said. “The INVEST in America Act puts a core piece of President Biden’s American Jobs Plan into legislative text—seizing this once-in-a-generation opportunity to move our transportation planning out of the 1950s and toward our clean energy future. Let’s get this done.”
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