DEMS/INFRASTRUCTURE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Donald Trump is in the same boat as Democratic leaders: They’re all under increasing pressure to do something about the aging infrastructure of the nation’s bridges. The recently released annual report by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, based on an analysis of data from the Department of Transportation, paints a grim picture of bridges throughout the country. For Trump and the Democrats, the aging infrastructure was one of the rare points both sides agreed on during the 2016 presidential election buildup. More than two years later, the problem of bridges continues to fester. The report said 47,052 of the nation’s 616,087 bridges – 7.6% – are “structurally deficient and in poor condition.’’ The combined distance spanning those structures, nearly 1,100 miles, is about the same as the drive from Chicago to Houston, the report pointed out. Just as damning, ARTBA said the pace of bridge improvements is at its slowest point in five years, and at that clip it would take more than 80 years to replace or repair them all. As recently as last year, that figure was 37 years…The Trump administration has proposed a $1 trillion infrastructure plan that would include only $200 billion in federal investment over 10 years, with the rest of the money supposedly coming from state, local and private sources.”
–Jorge L. Ortiz, “US bridges are in serious trouble. It would take 80 years to fix ‘national problem’ of deficient structures,” USA Today, April 4, 2019 9:24 am