Stimulus Linkage

Next up for discussion:

Modernize Roads, Bridges, Transit and Waterways: To build a 21st century economy, we must engage contractors across the nation to create jobs rebuilding our crumbling roads, and bridges, modernize public buildings, and put people to work cleaning our air, water and land.

· $30 billion for highway construction;

· $31 billion to modernize federal and other public infrastructure with investments that lead to long term energy cost savings;

· $19 billion for clean water, flood control, and environmental restoration investments;

· $10 billion for transit and rail to reduce traffic congestion and gas consumption.

Thoughts?


6 Responses to “Stimulus Linkage”

  1. alli Says:
    January 15th, 2009 at 12:50 pm

    “Construction” had better mean “repair.”

  2. Daniel Says:
    January 15th, 2009 at 1:09 pm

    More money needs to go to rail.

  3. Dan Berkman Says:
    January 15th, 2009 at 1:19 pm

    It is estimated that states have over 5,100 projects totaling over $64 billion that could be awarded within 180 days. These projects create jobs in the short term while saving commuters time and money in the long term.

    >Head Explodes<

    Seriously? Who’s writing this thing? If you believe that you can pave your way out of traffic congestion. I’ve got a great looking bridge to sell you(shows some wear and tear but otherwise in great shape). So we’ve looked back on the last fifty years and decided that the problem was that we didn’t build enough big highways?

  4. alli Says:
    January 15th, 2009 at 1:28 pm

    Also, you could easily spent $19 billion on flood control in the New Orleans metro area alone. I know Sacramento probably wants a piece of that, as does every community along the Mississippi. They could triple that amount without blinking an eye.

  5. Dan Berkman Says:
    January 15th, 2009 at 2:47 pm

    $1 billion for Capital Investment Grants for new commuter rail or other light rail systems to increase public use of mass transit and to speed projects already in construction. The Federal Transit Administration has $2.4 billion in pre-approved projects.

    HA!

  6. BruceMcF Says:
    January 17th, 2009 at 11:28 pm

    What Dan Berkman says … $6b for buses and $4b for rail against $30b for highways is a sick joke, and for rail the Appropriations report on just one of the rail items notes:

    Fixed Guideway Infrastructure Investment Recovery Funding: $2.000 billion

    These funds will be used for capital projects to modernize or improve existing fixed guideway systems, including purchase and rehabilitation of rolling stock, track, line equipment, structures, signals and communications, power equipment and substations, passenger stations and terminals, security equipment and systems, maintenance facilities and equipment, operational support equipment including computer hardware and software, system extensions, and preventive maintenance. Funds will be distributed through the existing fixed guideway formula. It is estimated that the state-of-good-repair capital backlog for existing fixed guideway systems is nearly $50 billion.

    And that does not even touch on the projects that could break through freight logjams … there is just $1.1b on regional rail, when $1.2b could be spent in Chicago alone in creating freight rail through ways to get freight rail through Chicago at above the current 12mph average speed.

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