As a jab at Congress over its inability to work out a long-term highway bill, and in honor of the most recent highway funding stopgap — the 35th in the last six years — the U.S. Department of Transportation wants to see your pothole photos.
And photos any other road, bridge or transportation problems that, at their core, stem from a lack of proper highway funding and Congressional hang-ups in ensuring long-term transportation spending.
So, while Congress recesses for the next five weeks, the DOT is soliciting photos on Instagram with the hashtag #ShowUSYourInfraWear. As the DOT puts it, “This is no way to keep an economy firing on all cylinders. And it’s no way for us to live the lives we’ve come to expect in this great nation. Show us what you would fix if we had a long-term surface transportation law. And remember to tag @USDOT and use the #ShowUsYourInfraWear hashtag. It’s gonna be a long five weeks; let’s make it count!”
The Senate passed last week a six-year highway bill called the DRIVE Act, but whether the House takes up the legislation upon returning to work in September — and whether the two chambers can work out differences between two long-term bills if necessary — still remain major question marks.
In the meantime, if you see highways or bridges you’d like to see fixed with a robust highway bill, snap a photo and upload it to Instagram tagging @USDOT and #ShowUsYourInfraWear. Also, if you’re on Instagram, give Overdrive a follow: @OverdriveTrucking:
