On the heels of the Wall Street bailout, Illinois PIRG joined with community and business leaders to call on the president and Congress to strengthen our local and national economies by building a 21st century transportation system.

At Union Station, Illinois PIRG, along with our partners in the Transportation for America Campaign (T4) released “Build for America: A Five-Point Plan to Get Our Economy Moving,” which calls for investing in public transit, high-speed and intercity rail, neighborhoods that are less car-dependent, and the restoration of thousands of roads and bridges across the United States. The plan has the potential to create millions of jobs nationally, save every American thousands of dollars per year, and reduce our dependence on oil.

“Our lawmakers in Springfield and in Washington, D.C., should act to strengthen our economy by building 21st century transportation,” said Brian Imus, director of Illinois PIRG. “Investment in transit will produce the best returns for our economy and our communities.”

Better Transportation Options

We’re asking President Obama and Congress to work together to:

• Modernize and expand our rail and transit networks to reduce oil dependence and connect the metro regions that drive our economy. 
  
  
• Fix what’s broken before building new roads, and restore our crumbling highways, bridges and transit systems.
  
  
• Stop wasteful spending and re-evaluate projects that would provide little economic return or that could deepen our oil dependence.
  
  
• Save Americans money by providing more transit options that are affordable and efficient and help people to avoid high gas costs and traffic congestion.