The US Chamber of Commerce will make a major push in 2014 in Congress to pass a multi-year surface transportation funding program. The Chamber feels that infrastructure will play a key role in the economic recovery of the country. They estimate that the cost of aging infrastructure and severe traffic bottlenecks cost the country $200 billion annually, about 1.6 percent of Gross Domestic Product. Part of their plan involves investing $250 billion in public-private partnerships. Other groups, such as the American Trucking Association would like to see a decrease in reliance on privatization and tolling. The article goes on to detail other legislative priorities for the US Chamber of Commerce and how the fact that 2014 is an election year will play into Congressional deliberations on the issue.
