Infrastructure Stimulus

[normalthings]

https://abc7news.com/joe-biden-infrastr ... /10462634/

$115 billion to modernize the bridges, highways and roads that are in the worst shape. The White House outline estimated 20,000 miles (32,187 kilometers) of roadways would be repaired, while economically significant bridges and 10,000 smaller bridges would get fixed.

- $85 billion for public transit, doubling the federal government's commitment in an effort to shorten the repair backlog and expand service.

- $80 billion to modernize Amtrak's heavily trafficked Northeast Corridor line, address its repair backlog and improve freight rail.

- $174 billion to build 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations, electrify 20% of school buses and electrify the federal fleet, including U.S. Postal Service vehicles.

- $25 billion to upgrade air travel and airports and $17 billion for waterways and coastal ports.

- $20 billion to redress communities whose neighborhoods - typically nonwhite - were divided by highway projects.

- $18 billion to modernize Veterans Affairs hospitals and clinics, and $10 billion for federal buildings.

[DaveKCMO]

I hope "expand service" means allowing federal funds to be used for operating expense, like what was done for the three COVID relief bills. Agencies won't add service if they can't afford to maintain it long term (we are in this category).

[normalthings]

I hope "expand service" means allowing federal funds to be used for operating expense, like what was done for the three COVID relief bills. Agencies won't add service if they can't afford to maintain it long term (we are in this category).

Will KC pursue a highway justice fund project?

[DaveKCMO]

Will KC pursue a highway justice fund project?

I hope so. There are at least four I can think of off the top of my head:

US-71 through the east side
North Loop
South Loop
I-35 through Westside

Lots of business and resident displacement for each.

[shinatoo]

Will KC pursue a highway justice fund project?

I hope so. There are at least four I can think of off the top of my head:

US-71 through the east side
North Loop
South Loop
I-35 through Westside

Lots of business and resident displacement for each.

I-70 through the east side.

[normalthings]

Will KC pursue a highway justice fund project?

I hope so. There are at least four I can think of off the top of my head:

US-71 through the east side
North Loop
South Loop
I-35 through Westside

Lots of business and resident displacement for each.

US-71 would make for a beautiful linear park. Disconnect 71 from the freeways on the south side and turn it into a city boulevard for the remainder.

[DColeKC]

https://abc7news.com/joe-biden-infrastr ... /10462634/

$115 billion to modernize the bridges, highways and roads that are in the worst shape. The White House outline estimated 20,000 miles (32,187 kilometers) of roadways would be repaired, while economically significant bridges and 10,000 smaller bridges would get fixed.

- $85 billion for public transit, doubling the federal government's commitment in an effort to shorten the repair backlog and expand service.

- $80 billion to modernize Amtrak's heavily trafficked Northeast Corridor line, address its repair backlog and improve freight rail.

- $174 billion to build 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations, electrify 20% of school buses and electrify the federal fleet, including U.S. Postal Service vehicles.

- $25 billion to upgrade air travel and airports and $17 billion for waterways and coastal ports.

- $20 billion to redress communities whose neighborhoods - typically nonwhite - were divided by highway projects.

- $18 billion to modernize Veterans Affairs hospitals and clinics, and $10 billion for federal buildings.

This portion of the bill looks appealing, still not sure why only 25% of the 2 trillion is actually dedicated to Infrastructure though.

[shaffe]

still not sure why only 25% of the 2 trillion is actually dedicated to Infrastructure though.

Is there something about sewers, pipes, broadband, scholols, energy, and hospitals that you don't consider infrastructure?

[DColeKC]

still not sure why only 25% of the 2 trillion is actually dedicated to Infrastructure though.

Is there something about sewers, pipes, broadband, scholols, energy, and hospitals that you don't consider infrastructure?

Last I checked, housing, education, research and development weren't considerd infrastructure projects. I'm not 100% opposed to improving those areas, but I'm a little worried about rising taxes in order to accomplish this. Perhaps the bill should be split into 2 different bills?

[flyingember]

Perhaps the bill should be split into 2 different bills?

You must be new to how government works. The only way to pass some bills is to add something certain people want into it.

Split it in two and if everything they want is in bill 1 they need to be given a reason to vote for bill 2.

[DColeKC]

Perhaps the bill should be split into 2 different bills?

You must be new to how government works. The only way to pass some bills is to add something certain people want into it.

Split it in two and if everything they want is in bill 1 they need to be given a reason to vote for bill 2.

Lol. I'm not new to how government works. I understand they slip a ton of bullshit pet projects into a bill that has some majority support. Just saying, there's billions of dollars dedicated to non-basic infrastructure projects in this act.

[FangKC]

The transportation portion of the infrastructure bill alone is 42 percent. When you add in the water projects, dams, flood control, electrical grid, adding electrical charging stations nationwide, wind, solar, battery investment, energy efficiency, broadband, housing, etc, it's much more than the 25 percent. Infrastructure is more than highways and bridges.



I've read that our electrical grid alone is one of our greatest weaknesses as a country -- not only to blackouts like in Texas, but national defense. Any adversary could easily take down our electrical grid.

One of the most pro-active civil defense projects that we could ever do would be to incentivize every household to have a back-up electric-storage battery. In fact, if most people had one electric car, one can run basic household needs off the car batteries in a pinch.

Economists say that the benefit of the spending is that much of it goes back directly into our economy through wages and worker spending creating big multiplier effect.

[DaveKCMO]

Conservative talking point excludes transit and Amtrak from the definition of infrastructure.

[DColeKC]

Conservative talking point excludes transit and Amtrak from the definition of infrastructure.

Probably because they’re tired of bailing out Amtrak with billions every single year.

[kboish]

Conservative talking point excludes transit and Amtrak from the definition of infrastructure.

Probably because they’re tired of bailing out Amtrak with billions every single year.

Why must Amtrak make a profit and highways not? Does the FAA recoup all monies through fees for the BILLIONs they dole out? How about port infrastructure?

but you know this, this conversation has been had before on here, elsewhere. But no one updates their talking points. gets boring after awhile.

[kboish]

If you understand why streetcar/ATA is free to ride, then you understand why Amtrak does not need to be profitable.

[mean]

lol @ "bailing out" Amtrak

[taxi]

I've read that our electrical grid alone is one of our greatest weaknesses as a country -- not only to blackouts like in Texas, but national defense. Any adversary could easily take down our electrical grid.

One of the most pro-active civil defense projects that we could ever do would be to incentivize every household to have a back-up electric-storage battery. In fact, if most people had one electric car, one can run basic household needs off the car batteries in a pinch.

I don't have an electric car, but that comment just presented the conflicting scenario in my mind if I did... a foreign adversary causes the electrical grid to go down; my Tesla is fully charged but my freezer is full of pandemic emergency meals; I'm really low on dog food; my elderly mom lives alone, 30 miles away; the patriots have just breached the Capital again and hung AOC; my phone and laptop are not fully charged and I'm out of beer. WTF do I do?

[DColeKC]

lol @ "bailing out" Amtrak

Amtrak has lost money almost every single year it’s been in existence. It’s been given well over 35 billion in bailouts and for years, this was because it was run like a complete shit show. Not sure if it’s still true, but years ago more people flew on private planes per year than rode on Amtrak.

How far could we be with high speed rail at this point with all these billions and how much longer are we going to give a few billion per year to an already federally subsidized company to cover their losses?

[DColeKC]

Conservative talking point excludes transit and Amtrak from the definition of infrastructure.

Probably because they’re tired of bailing out Amtrak with billions every single year.

Why must Amtrak make a profit and highways not? Does the FAA recoup all monies through fees for the BILLIONs they dole out? How about port infrastructure?

but you know this, this conversation has been had before on here, elsewhere. But no one updates their talking points. gets boring after awhile.

Sorry, I’ve never seen these conversations happening. So new to me.

Highways aren’t a quasi-public corporation and our tax dollars are already paying for the upkeep. The amount of people using highways and commercial aviation is astronomically greater than those using Amtrak. Amtrak’s not transporting goods in and out of the country either. So I don’t understand the comparison.

Let’s stop pumping money into an antiquated, dying form of transportation and put that money into future improvements like high speed rail that could actually compete with other popular forms of transportation. Amtrak is a joke. Not to be confused with local rail and streetcar systems which are a huge plus for communities.