Bucks County Commissioner Makes Infrastructure Pitch To President Trump

Bucks County Commissioner Robert Loughery made an infrastructure pitch directly to President Donald Trump and his administration Monday at the White House.

Loughery’s pitch was for federal funding to complete the second stage of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and I-95 Interchange project in Bristol Township. The first stage is fully funded and getting closer to the completion of its two connector ramps. The second stage would add six connector ramps for full interstate connectivity at the price tag of $515 million.

The project would bring 500 permanent jobs to the region and more than 300 to Lower Bucks County. It would have a transformative impact on the area and help interstate transportation, Loughery said.

According to estimates released by the county, the competition of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and I-95 Interchange would bring $415 million in economic impact to Bucks County and add $150 million in personal income to the county. The project could also spur thousands of permanent manufacturing and related jobs, reduce traffic on local roads, and aid a thriving industrial warehouse development across the Delaware River in New Jersey.

“The project has a significant economic impact,” Loughery said.

The pitch for federal funding came during Trump’s event unveiling his $1.5 trillion plan that repair and rebuild America’s infrastructure. The president’s plan for taking on America’s crumbling infrastructure would closer mirror a financing plan for projects than a massive influx of federal dollars.

Loughery explained directly to the president that permitting and environmental reviews for the second stage of the $515 million connector project have been completed and all that is needed is funding.

“That sounds good. You jumped to the head of the line,” Trump said.

The president teased Loughery about the price tag of the project and asked him to see if he could lower it.

“That sounds like a lot of money for connections, right?” Trump said.

Before moving onto the next project, Loughery mentioned to the president about cutting red tape to reduce the time it takes for federal review and approvals.

In an interview with LevittownNow.com, Loughery explained how he has seen federal review and permitting on projects take between three and 10 years, while state reviews are often completed in less than two years.

Loughery said he feels good about the pitch presented to the Trump administration.

The Republic county commissioner was sitting just feet away from the president and with Republican and Democratic officials who were also making their pitch for infrastructure projects. He was seated near the mayor of Columbia, South Carolina; the mayor of Vicksburg, Mississippi; the governor of New Mexico; the governor of Wisconsin; Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross; and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly.

Last June, Loughery had his first meeting at the White House dealing with infrastructure and was in a working group with various officials, including Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao.

“I felt that everyone was listening when we were putting out ideas,” he said.

The commissioner said Bucks County officials have been making their pitch to businesses and federal officials over the past few years. He mentioned Lower Bucks County’s access to highways, major metropolitan areas, and the international port in Falls Township.