DOT chief: Obama port trip highlighted ‘challenge I saw firsthand’ as mayor

{mosads}“It was my distinct pleasure to tour the Port of Jacksonville, Florida, yesterday with President Obama,” Foxx wrote in a blog on the Department of Transportation’s website.

“There, the president spoke with port officials about a challenge I saw firsthand as Mayor of Charlotte,” Foxx continued before quoting a section of Obama’s speech about businesses wanting to locate near infrastructure that is in good condition.

Obama said after touring the Jacksonville port that “the businesses of tomorrow will not locate near old roads, outdated ports — they’re going to go to places where the ports are good, the roads are good, the rail lines are good, you’ve got high-speed Internet, you’ve got high-tech schools, trained workers, systems that move air traffic and auto traffic faster.”

The Jacksonville port was one of five ports on the East Coast of the U.S. that were selected by the Obama administration prior to Foxx’s arrival for expedited deepening. 

Republicans criticized the administration for taking too long to complete the deepening, but Foxx said on Friday projects like the Jacksonville port were crucial to its plans to improve the condition of infrastructure in the U.S.

“President Obama and this department want to make sure that America’s communities have what it takes to compete effectively in the 21st century global economy, and we want to put people to work right now helping them do exactly that,” Foxx wrote.