http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/100373-highway-bill-supporters-turn-to-new-arguments

EXCERPT: Advocates for a new highway bill say lawmakers must convince deficit-averse voters that more government spending on infrastructure is in their interest.

The chances of a highway bill moving soon appear slim, in large part because lawmakers are worried about voting in favor of additional spending amid record budget deficits. Worries about the deficit are also causing House leaders headaches in moving a budget resolution and this week’s tax extenders package.

But supporters of the highway bill say lawmakers are missing the point when it comes to voter concern about spending and budgets.

“To say they are anti-spending misses the mark,” Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) said of voters.

“They are for spending if they can see and feel positive and tangible results for that spending,” Rendell said of American voters. “If we ignore [the nation’s infrastructure], it is going to stop working. It is going to crumble. The American people get it.”

Rendell sees the surface transportation reauthorization bill as “the first battleground” for whether Congress can commit to serious investment in rebuilding the nation’s aging roads and railways.

…Rendell was in Washington this week advocating for legislation to reduce traffic congestion as well as keep people safe from collapsing bridges. Two weeks ago, the governor testified before Congress on the need for a national infrastructure bank, another measure he says could help win more public support for government spending.

“The most fascinating thing about the polls is the public is willing to pay for infrastructure improvements but they want them to be transparent, they want them to be accountable and they want them to be subject to some sort of merit-based cost-benefit analysis,” Rendell said.

Transportation legislation suffers from a poor reputation from the last highway bill, which included a number of controversial earmarks, including the “bridge to nowhere” in Alaska that was highlighted during the 2008 presidential race.

Rendell indicated the next highway bill must be transparent.

“That necessarily doesn’t mean the end of earmarks, but it does mean the major projects need to go through some sort of major review,” he said.

Rendell is a co-chairman, with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I), of Building America’s Future, a coalition that calls for heavy infrastructure reinvestment.

The coalition’s staff has expanded in Washington to push for more spending. It recently hired two former senior aides in the Clinton White House, Marcia Hale and Sean O’Shea.

…For advocates, rebuilding roads and railways is critical to creating jobs as well as insuring safety for people.

Rendell said the costs of ignoring the nation’s crumbling infrastructure are too great, citing recent disasters such as the Minneapolis bridge collapse, Hurricane Katrina and flooding in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

“I don’t think there is any other alternative,” Rendell said. “Do you remember what the price tag was for not having adequate levees in Cedar Rapids? Well over $1 billion.”

Rendell argues improving roads and railways will lead to small improvements in people’s everyday lives. More infrastructure spending could lead to less traffic for commuters, giving parents another half-hour with their children before and after work, Rendell said.

“That means an hour more with their kids. How can you put a price tag on that? The American people get it, and that’s the message we need to drive home with our Congress people,” Rendell said.