Connecticut Laborers' District Council

Build America 2010 Campaign Launches In Connecticut On July 1, 2010 In Hartford, CT.

(MEDIA INQUIRIES: Ron Dresner, 860.523.7500, c 860.305.7728, ron@dennispr.com)

NEWS FROM THE CONNECTICUT LABORERS' DISTRICT COUNCIL

"Build America 2010" Transportation Infrastructure Re-Investment Campaign Kicks-off In Hartford, CT

- 1,406 Bridges In Connecticut Are Now Structurally Deficient Or Functionally Obsolete -

For immediate release: July 1, 2010
For more information: Ron Dresner
ron@dennispr.com
860.523.7500 c 860.305.7728

(Hartford, CT) -The Connecticut Laborers' District Council kicked-off a transportation infrastructure awareness campaign entitled "Build America 2010" at an important press conference today on Broad Street near the I-84 ramp in Hartford, CT.

"Restoring Connecticut's roads, bridges, water resources and school facilities will create jobs and ensure a positive legacy for the future.  Critical infrastructure - bridges, highways, water resources, school facilities and energy systems - in Connecticut have fallen behind, threatening our economy and our competitiveness," said Charles LeConche, business manager, Connecticut Laborers' District Council.  ''Across the state, 1,406 bridges - a third of all bridges - are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, according to federal officials. Nearly 60 percent of roads are rated as being in less than good condition. Fifty-eight percent of Connecticut's major urban highways are congested in the Hartford area, causing 9.5 million hours of delay annually and $166 million a year in extra fuel and lost productivity".

Speakers at the Build America 2010 press conference on Thursday, July 1, 2010, from 10 to 11 a.m., on Broad Street & I-84 ramp in Hartford included:
- Charles LeConche, business manager, CT Laborers' District Council
- John Olsen, president, CT AFL-CIO
- Tony Guerrera, CT State House Rep & Co-Chair, Transportation Committee
- Steve Mikutel, CT State House Rep & Vice-Chair, Transportation Committee
- Office of U.S. Congressman John Larson Staff Member Billy Ciotto
- Office of U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman Staff Member Frank Rowe
- Office of U.S. Senator Chris Dodd Staff Member Ryan Drajewicz
- Ned Lamont, CT Gubernatorial Candidate

Terry O'Sullivan, president, Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA), stated that "Build America 2010's purpose is to move votes in the United States Senate to increase the investment in our infrastructure.  LIUNA is already committed to spend about $2 million nationwide on the effort that will mobilize members and allies in the community to build public support for more infrastructure spending."

The campaign, which is going to last at least through the summer and is expected to move into other states -- including Kentucky, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Virginia -- and will feature billboard, radio, and Internet advertisements, along with other outreach efforts to raise public awareness about the issue.

The Connecticut Laborers' District Council represents approximately 7,500 members employed in the construction industry, public sector and other building and trade fields throughout the state. The Laborers' International Union, founded in 1903 largely by immigrant workers, includes more than 800,000 members who work in construction and hazardous materials remediation, as well as in healthcare, the U.S. Postal Service and other public service sectors of the economy. For more information, call 860.296.8697 or visit www.CTLPL.com.