Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell elevated his prominence on national infrastructure issues last week as he assumed the chairmanship of the National Governors Association.

The governor announced that his “Chair’s Initiative” will focus on strengthening infrastructure investment nationwide. He said the federal government must do more to help states ensure that roads, bridges, schools, airports, trains, ports, and water systems are safe, and that investing in such projects helps the economy and creates good-paying jobs that can’t be outsourced.

“America's infrastructure urgently needs attention,” Governor Rendell said. “From outmoded ports to crumbling bridges to underinvestment in public transit, we must begin a new era of investment in the systems that support our prosperity and our quality of life. State and local governments now fund 75 percent of all infrastructure work. We will need the federal government to step up significantly if we are to fully meet this challenge. I will continue to work with my fellow governors to give these issues the attention they deserve.”

Funding for highways and mass transit systems has been an ongoing issue during both of the governor’s terms. Pennsylvania’s 6,000 structurally deficient bridges places the state at the top of the list nationally. Pennsylvania adopted Act 44 last year and the recently approved $350 million bond issue to expedite the repair of 400 of the state’s worst bridges, but the highway funding gap remains at several hundreds of millions of dollars.

“We commend Governor Rendell for taking the infrastructure funding dilemma to the national stage,” said PHIA president Ron Drnevich. “As Congress begins to debate the reauthorization of SAFETEA-LU, leadership of the nation’s governors will be crucial in gaining support for increased national investment.”