UTCA STATEMENT ON VICE PRESIDENT’S NEWARK VISIT

Farmingdale – Utility and Transportation Contractors Association (UTCA) CEO Robert Briant, Jr., issued the following statement today on Vice President Harris visiting Newark to highlight the city’s removal of lead service lines:

“The Vice President’s visit today highlights the remarkable work done in the City of Newark. The UTCA commends and congratulates the City of Newark for finishing the final steps of meeting their goal of replacing all the lead service lines in their community. Newark has set an example that with funding, focus and partnerships we can solve our long-standing infrastructure challenges. 

“The work of removing over 22,800 lead service lines and replacing them with safe copper pipe was done safely, professionally and at an extraordinary pace. This work was completed by UTCA member contractors, subcontractors and our partners in labor. We are incredibly proud of the effort our members put in to get this job done, get it done quickly, and get it done right. 

“Newark is a success story to be highlighted across the country. But we should not let it lull us into a sense that the job is over in New Jersey. There is considerably more work to be done across the state. What we need now are the federal and state resources to finish the job for every community in the State of New Jersey. As always, our members stand ready, willing and able to get to work. With the assistance of the federal government and state, we can continue this work across New Jersey to ensure that every single lead pipe is removed.”

UTCA of New Jersey is a non-profit trade association headquartered in Wall, New Jersey. UTCA represents approximately 1,000 member firms in the public and private sectors, active in all phases of heavy, highway, utility, and marine construction, as well as site work including remediation of brownfields and contaminated sites. For more information, log on to http://www.utcanj.org and follow on Twitter @UTCANJ.