Several lawmakers issued statements Monday regarding the MacArthur Maze freeway collapse:

“Everyone is committed to making sure that the disruptions to local commuters are as short and as painless as possible. My office is working with federal, state and local agencies to ensure that they have the full support of the federal government to make the necessary repairs to our local freeways,” said Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, in whose district the disaster occured. “We have been in ongoing contact with CalTrans, the Department of Transportation, local transit operators as well as the Congressional committees that oversee transportation funding, and we aim to make sure that the federal response to this accident is robust and timely.”

“It is possible that the repair costs will exceed the regular federal emergency reimbursement, in which case, Congress would need to act, and we are monitoring the situation closely and prepared to take whatever action is necessary to ensure that the funds are available, and commuters lives can be returned to normal as soon as possible,” said Lee.

“When a catastrophe like this happens, we need all hands on deck,” said Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Alamo, who sits on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and its Highways and Transit Subcommittee. “I’ve spoken with Transportation Secretary Mary Peters to impress upon her how important federal funds will be as we attempt to rebuild and get back to normal after the freeway collapse, and she will be joining both the Chairman of the House Transportation Committee, Jim Oberstar, and me at the site on Friday.

“We need emergency relief now, we need federal assistance in the future, and we are going to need all these costs reimbursed - like free BART and ferry rides and all the police officers working overtime to divert traffic and keep people moving.

“In coming days and weeks I will continue working with all concerned federal agencies, as well as my Bay Area colleagues, to ensure that every penny available is used to expedite this process so that we can all get back to our normal lives and commutes.”

More — from Rep. Jerry McNerney and U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer — after the jump… Read the rest of this entry »