Usually, AGC's highway contractors shun public transit due to competition for funds. The invitation came after Millar urged President Clinton to increase public transit funding from the general fund and not steal from highway spending allocations. Surface transportation funding is protected by firewalls, or guaranteed funding.
Firewalls differ for highways versus transit.
Highway firewalls are dollar for dollar, one dollar coming in results in one dollar being spent. But with transit firewalls, the dollar level going out is set but is not tied to money coming in because funding comes from sources in addition to the federal government. Millar noted that APTA recognizes the strategic value of all factions of surface transportation to stick together. Transit rides are up to 9 billion per year, Millar said. He implored AGC members to help him get back into the good graces of his public transit colleagues by sticking together.