CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood emphasized the bipartisan nature of transportation during the annual Transportation Economic Development Conference, which began in Charleston Monday morning.

Government and private sector leaders from across the country attended.

"There are no Republican or Democratic roads. There are no Democratic or Republican bridges," LaHood said. "I am optimistic we will pass a transportation bill this year."

LaHood said he is committed to finishing Corridor H to connect central West Virginia to interstate highways in Virginia and to Washington, D.C.

High-speed railroads are also a major priority.

"It took us 50 years to build the interstate highway system. The previous generation constructed our freight-train network. High-speed railroads are coming to America today."

LaHood, a Republican Congressman from Illinois for 14 years, asked, "How do we pay for it?

"We can spend money on transportation projects and we can set aside money to pay our deficit. Let's get a bill passed this year. A good transportation bill gives the country a big vision," LaHood said.

Today, the 3,090-mile Appalachian Development Highway System has 32 highway corridors in 13 states. Launched in 1965 by the Appalachian Regional Commission, the ADHS system is now 85 percent complete.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller and Rep. Nick J. Rahall, both D-W.Va., stressed the importance of passing Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization legislation and new highways legislation.

Intense congressional battles about the federal budget and deficit are posing barriers to their passage.

"We can't talk about roads, bridges or rails without acknowledging the new and dire fiscal cuts on the table," Rockefeller said. "I grow more and more frustrated.

 "Money is the 800-pound gorilla in every room in Washington right now as we struggle to rein in the deficit ...after almost a decade of giving away trillions in tax cuts to the very wealthy and corporate tax loopholes, while fighting two-and-a-half wars.

 "Extending the Bush tax cuts for the very wealthiest Americans -- including the estate tax relief that benefits only one quarter of 1 percent of all Americans who die -- will cost us $700 billion over the next decade....

"But if you talk about eliminating tax cuts for the wealthy," Rockefeller said, "you are somehow against free enterprise."

Rockefeller believes it is critically important "to acknowledge where most of the money went so we can be smart about how to get back on track."

Rockefeller criticized the Ryan Budget bill passed by the House.

"Every part of our transportation network is in jeopardy today because of a crusade in Washington to rein in the deficit exclusively with spending cuts -- something that's never worked and is fundamentally short-sighted."

The Ryan bill, he said, would cut $14 billion from transportation expenditures next year.

"In West Virginia, that translates to a loss of $143 million in transportation funds and 5,000 lost jobs. At a me when our national transportation system is in dire straits, it just doesn't make sense."

Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said, "I voted for the [Ryan] budget. This is about setting national priorities.

"We have to figure out how to get debt and deficit out of our future. Where are we going to find the money?" Capito asked.

Capito also pointed out that "pockets of economic development all center around" the presence of major highways.

Rahall said, "Today, the transportation sector accounts for 11 percent of our gross domestic product -- approximately $1.1 trillion annually. It supports one in eight jobs.

"Congress has long recognized the critical link between transportation investments and economic development. We know that for every $1 billion invested in transportation infrastructure, we create or sustain 35,000 jobs and generate $6.2 billion in economic activity.

"Simply put, these are investments in America's future that create and expand economic opportunity today," Rahall said.

Today, West Virginia ranks eighth from the bottom in the quality of its bridges, according to Transportation for America.

"Most bridges are designed to last 50 years," Rockefeller said. "The average [bridge] in our state is 44 years [old]."

Rockefeller stressed the importance of improving technology at our airports, especially in the wake of recent problems with air traffic controllers falling asleep.

The Ryan Budget, Rockefeller said, would cut the FAA budget by 25 percent, which could have particularly serious impacts on small rural airports in states like West Virginia.

"So as much as I'd like to be talking with West Virginians about finishing Corridor H -- potentially driving economic development for two-thirds of our state," Rockefeller said, "instead I spend my time fending off ill-conceived cuts to programs and investments."

Rahall said the House-approved budget would cut $318 billion from transportation investments over the next decade, cutting a third of all investments in highways, highway safety and other transit programs.

Reach Paul J. Nyden at pjny...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5164.