The secretary's visit was part of a four-day, five state bus tour, The
GROW AMERICA Express, highlighting the importance of investing in America's
infrastructure and to encourage Congress to act on a long-term transportation
bill.
"I kicked off this bus tour with two stops in
Tallahassee, one was a great sendoff by the students of FAMU, which begs the
question of what kind of country we want to leave future generations,"
said Foxx. "Right now, we've got a lot of work to do rebuilding America's
infrastructure and young people all across this country deserve more than a
patchwork of promises from Congress and a future of short-term fixes. Congress
needs to pass a long-term transportation bill like our GROW AMERICA Act to put
us on a more competitive path."
FAMU President Elmira Mangum and state Rep. Alan Williams were present to greet Foxx on FAMU’s campus.
The estimated cost to complete the Capital Circle Southwest
Project is $120 million – $111 million of which still needs to be found for the
project to go to construction. When completed, this 6.7-mile-long project will
widen SR 263 from two lanes to six, and add sidewalks and bicycle
accommodations. It will upgrade intersections, provide an enhanced highway for
cars, buses, and pedestrians, and improve access to Tallahassee Regional
Airport and Florida State University.
"The improvements on SR 263 would support the area's
economy and support the future expansion of the airport," said Acting
Federal Highway Administrator Gregory Nadeau. "It's projects such as these
that make it possible for Florida to expand its economy and create jobs."
The Tallahassee Regional Airport is considered a cornerstone
of economic development. The Tallahassee market area of more than 1.4 million
in total population includes Tallahassee, 11 neighboring Florida counties, and
12 southern Georgia counties. Tallahassee Regional Airport accounts for 32
percent of air passenger travel in the Northwest Florida Region.
On February 2, the Obama Administration announced a plan to
address the infrastructure deficit with a $478 billion, six-year surface
transportation reauthorization proposal, building on the GROW AMERICA Act,
which the Administration first released last year. The plan makes critical
investments in infrastructure needed to promote long-term economic growth,
enhance safety and efficiency, and support jobs for the 21st century.