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President Barack Obama's call in last night's State of the Union address to undertake "fix-it-first" projects for aging infrastructure and invest in high-speed rail underscores the critical importance of transportation to the U.S. economy, said American Public Transportation Association (APTA) President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Melaniphy in a prepared statement.

"Clearly, transportation is the backbone of a thriving economy that is essential to ensuring the United States is global competitive," said Melaniphy. "President Obama's emphasis on transportation infrastructure reminds us of the past infrastructure projects that made America great, from New York City's Grand Central Terminal that is celebrating its 100th birthday to the Transcontinental Railroad that was started under President Lincoln."

The current generation of Americans must take up the challenge to ensure the nation continues to be the "land of economic opportunity," he said.

Melaniphy also noted that public transportation has a key role in generating economic activity. For every $1 billion invested in public transportation, 36,000 jobs are created and supported at transit systems and in the transit-supply sector, he said.