US Sen. Sherrod Brown calls for bipartisan bill to maintain nation's roads, bridges

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Cleveland, today called for a long-term bipartisan extension of a federal highway funding bill to maintain the nation’s roads and bridges.

A 60-day extension of the bill that supports the federal Highway Trust Fund expires July 31.

Unless the federal transportation bill is reauthorized, Brown said critical Ohio road and bridge repairs will be postponed and thousands of construction jobs will be jeopardized.

“To remain on top of the world’s economy, we need to invest in a world-class infrastructure,” the senator said during a noon-hour media conference call.

“If we want to continue our leadership, we have to invest in a long-term transportation plan,” he added.

The United States, which built a world-class interstate highway system decades ago, has gone from first place to 16th place in the world in infrastructure quality, Brown said.

Brown’s office said some 6,500 Ohio bridges are in critical need of repairs.

In Mahoning County, 131 bridges have been deemed structurally deficient or functionally obsolete by the Federal Highway Administration, Brown’s aides said.