Washington, DC – Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released a report showing that 456 bridges in Oregon are structurally deficient, and said investments in rebuilding those bridges would put thousands of Oregonians back to work—especially those in the field of construction, which has experienced far higher unemployment that most other professions. Oregon has lost over 40,000 construction jobs since 2007.
“Fixing our bridges, which we need to do in order to have a functional, safe transportation system, would put Oregonians back to work and help drive our economy in these tough times,” Merkley said. “These investments are essential, and we can either do them now, when so many construction workers are unemployed, or later at a much higher cost. This is a no-brainer for both safety and the economy.”
A copy of the report can be found here.
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