The American Highway Users Alliance issued a statement Wednesday calling on senators to rapidly move a jobs bill.

"Job creation is too urgent an issue to American families," said Greg Cohen, the alliance's president and CEO. "The long-term economic and job-creation benefits of better and safer roads and bridges are proven. Hundreds of thousands of jobs will be sustained or created by the highway provisions in the jobs bill."

The American Public Transportation Association, also in a Wednesday statement, said it is mobilizing transit authorities across the country to urge Congress to quickly pass a new jobs bill and invest at least $15 billion in public transportation.

"Increased investment in public transportation is an investment in jobs that will not disappear after the construction work is finished since public transportation fosters and creates additional jobs and development," APTA stated.

APTA also stressed the need for Congress to quickly pass a six-year surface transportation authorization measure to provide long-term funding in addition to short-term funds from a jobs bill.

"We know that new jobs produced by funding for public transportation boost American workers in the sectors that have been hardest hit by the economic downturn, including construction and manufacturing," said APTA President William Millar. "Let's get Americans back to work."

Senate Democrats hope to move a jobs bill once a final healthcare bill is passed, CongressDaily reported Thursday. A group of Democratic senators has been crafting a jobs package since August and staffers have continued the work since the holiday recess began Dec. 24. They are working to narrow a list of 121 job-creation provisions that senators have suggested.

The House of Representatives approved a jobs bill Dec. 16 that contains $37.3 billion for transportation projects. (see Dec. 18 AASHTO Journal story)

AASHTO strongly supports enacting a jobs measure containing spending for highways, mass transit, and other transportation modes.

"If the Senate approves this legislation, we'll be ready to put thousands of people back to work," John Horsley, AASHTO executive director, said last month. "AASHTO is looking forward to working with the Senate and the administration to pass a jobs bill as quickly as possible and to craft a new long-term highway and transit program that will keep America moving in the right direction."

Illustrating the need for additional federal funding for infrastructure projects, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that construction spending fell 13 percent in November 2009 compared to the same month a year earlier, reaching a six-year low. The downturn in private construction spending was mitigated somewhat by public construction spending, which was up 2.7 percent in November compared to a year earlier. Highway and street spending was up 5.7 percent thanks to states spending American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grants.