Colorado Springs, CO – Today, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet toured IP Automation, a local engineering design firm and manufacturer of custom machines, and met with southern Colorado companies including Vestas, Qualtek, and ConcealFab to highlight the important role transportation plays in the region’s economic growth. Much of these company’s success relies on their ability to safely and reliably transport their products and supplies on federal highways, including Interstate-25.
“Investment in infrastructure is vital to moving people, goods, ideas, and services and to driving the I-25 corridor’s innovation economy,” Bennet said. “The companies we met with today need access to reliable infrastructure to ship their goods and supplies to one another. Unfortunately, the country’s investment in our roads, bridges, and highways has not kept pace. We passed a bill to give state and local governments certainty for infrastructure projects over the next five years. That will help, but it does not address the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund. We need a long-term solution that will help us build and maintain the infrastructure that will keep us competitive in the 21st century global economy.”
Bennet has led the fight to ensure we properly invest in our nation’s infrastructure to support a growing economy. Last year, Bennet helped pass a five-year highway bill that included $3.4 billion in funding for critical Colorado projects. He’s also introduced a bipartisan bill with Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) to increase our ability to build and repair roads, bridges, highways, ports, schools, and other infrastructure projects. The Partnership to Build America Act establishes a $50 billion infrastructure fund that can potentially support hundreds of billions in loan guarantees and financing authority for state and local governments. The fund would finance transportation, energy, communications, water, and education infrastructure projects across the country.
In 2013, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave Colorado a D for road maintenance and conditions and a C+ grade overall. The nation received a D rating, with road conditions receiving a D as well.
IP Automation in Colorado Springs is the second stop on Senator Bennet’s Pathways to Innovation Tour, a three day, multi-stop tour. Bennet is traveling up and down the I-25 corridor, visiting Colorado companies to highlight the factors driving the state’s thriving innovation economy and to talk to business owners about ways to continue growth.