The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) announced it joined 17 other Bay Area agencies in signing an Equity In Infrastructure Project (EIP) pledge on Monday. Some of the other signatories were the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, the Valley Transportation Authority, and the San Francisco County Transportation Authority.
“The pledge is a voluntary commitment to create more opportunities for Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUBs) in public infrastructure contracting. HUBs are businesses in which at least 51 percent ownership of the business is by a woman, minority and/or service-disabled veteran.” DeNise Blake, an MTC executive and current president of the Northern California Chapter of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials, commented that the pledge “is not just a promise; it’s a vital step and a call to action to ensure that underrepresented businesses and individuals are included on shaping our communities through transformative projects.”
To date, 74 other entities — public infrastructure agencies as well as engineering, financial, and construction firms — have signed the pledge. (Participants include the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the Illinois Tollway Authority, and LA Metro.)