Editorial: Infrastructure Bubbling to the Top
This Editorial appears in the Jan. 23 print edition of Transport Topics. Click here to subscribe today.
The departure of the old administration and confirmation hearings for the new one have generated an avalanche of conversation about infrastructure. It’s a desirable occurrence, but there needs to be more of it, especially specifics rather than broad but fuzzy support.
Wilbur Ross, designated for commerce secretary, and Elaine Chao for transportation, were big names in the new Trump administration who have talked to the Senate panel about roads and bridges. Even higher up the food chain was an address by Mike Pence, days before his swearing in as vice president, before the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
As for the departing team, Anthony Foxx, Chao’s predecessor, unveiled DOT’s “Beyond Traffic” report, a forecast of what will happen with transportation over the next 30 years. Beyond Traffic crunches the numbers on population growth and economic growth to make some projections on how people and goods will be moving.
If you think congestion is bad now — and it is — just wait and see what happens in the 2040s if the nation does not prepare well.
Pence, Ross and Chao all seem to understand this, agreeing with their new boss, President Trump, that the nation needs a big infrastructure plan.
Establishing conditions that are felicitous to business activity, including an ample highway network, usually generates commerce and employment.
What specific shape will these lofty ideals take? Now that the inaugural ballrooms have all been swept up, we need to start hearing more specifics.
We hope the repairs to and expansion of roads and bridges will not be just a jobs program. We salute those doing the hard work involved, but don’t slop the money at favored states and congressional districts. Look for the nation’s freight bottlenecks, where goods and cars are at a standstill, and emphasize building there.
Probably most contentious will be the debate over how to pay for this plan. Legislators intent on maintaining their careers in elective office usually are loath to raise taxes. Therefore, public-private partnerships, or P3s, have built a fan base, but that often means tolled facilities, which create another set of problems.
We certainly want to hear from key personnel in the new administration and leaders on Capitol Hill — all Republicans.
American Trucking Associations soon will be chiming in on this, as well, with a report from its special committee on infrastructure finance.
There’s still so much difficult work to be done on this challenging issue, but we’re gratified to see there is interest in doing it.
