Rep. Tanzi Urges Rejection of Plan to Cut Funding for Bike & Pedestrian Traffic Projects
GoLocalProv News Team
Rep. Tanzi Urges Rejection of Plan to Cut Funding for Bike & Pedestrian Traffic Projects
“Our State Planning Council is responsible for looking at the big picture, and they must recognize that focusing on only the immediate problems facing our state is how we got into the current mess. We must look at every dollar we spend and see how it can solve two or more problems at once. Investing in wider roads only compounds the issues we, as a coastal state, face with climate change. These investments must serve our state’s long term needs: a healthier environment, coastal resilience, a healthier populace, stronger communities, and better infrastructure,” said Tanzi.
The council is set to vote on the change at its next meeting on Thursday morning.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe Amendment
The amendment would cut the Transportation Alternatives Program, which funds bike and pedestrian access projects, by $37 million under the plan, shifting dollars toward fixing roads and bridges.
Department of Transportation officials have defended the move by pointing toward the state’s status as having the highest percentage of structurally deficient bridges in the nation.
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