President-Elect Joe Biden, perhaps the world’s biggest fan of Amtrak, has been given a good opportunity to implement many of his and the Democratic party’s ideas. With President-elect being sworn into office soon, he has proposed a new economic infrastructure plan labeled “The Biden Plan To Invest In Middle-Class Competitiveness” to rebuild the economy during these unprecedented times.
This is particularly important to civil engineers and construction firms who can make serious strides in repairing the crumbling bridges, highways, airports, water treatment plants, dams … well you get the idea. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, America was given a D-plus in terms of its infrastructure due to its’ largely deteriorating roads and other key infrastructure that has faced decades of neglect. The World Economic Forum also ranks America 10th with its quality of infrastructure. As a global superpower, our nation cannot accept below-grade infrastructure.
Many states have seen their budgets gutted due to lost tax revenue as the economic shutdown from the coronavirus drags on into its 10th month. We have lost an entire year’s worth of potential progress on infrastructure upgrades. The federal government now has the mandate to act and infuse billions of dollars into massive infrastructure projects, an exciting prospect for civil engineers.
This will not be the first time that Biden has presided over a major investment of federal dollars into infrastructure to provide a jolt to the economy on the heels of an economic catastrophe. While serving as vice president, he participated in the development of the Recovery Act of 2009 that saw over $100 billion poured into a wide array of infrastructure projects, spanning industries from transportation and water treatment plants to communications and renewable energy. Similar investments this time around aim to spur economic growth, ease pressure on states facing budget deficits, and allow members of the opposition party to find common ground.
We’ve heard this before, but President-Elect Biden has proposed a $1.3-trillion plan that will span a decade of investment in middle-class jobs and upgrades to roads, highways, bridges, and a high-speed rail network. With over 10.7 million unemployed Americans (three times pre-pandemic levels) and 7.3 million Americans not actively seeking a job, the trillion-dollar plan can put many of them back to work and help to kickstart the economy. The infrastructure plan will also focus heavily on addressing climate change concerns by helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The proposed infrastructure spending plan is very ambitious and would be coming at a very good time for the engineering industry and the country at large if it were to be fulfilled as it would mean an immediate investment of $50 billion for repairs to existing highways, roads, and bridges. The president-elect has also proposed an outpouring of federal dollars to invest in innovative technologies like smart pavement, vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, and connected intersections. Additionally, on the highway front, the new administration needs to ensure that revenue continues to flow into the Highway Trust Fund. This has been a point of contention for politicians over the past two decades, as fuel efficiency increases and revenue from the gas tax decreases precipitously.
Infrastructure has most commonly been used as a term to refer to roads and bridges, but it is so much more than that. The proposed infrastructure spending plan is expansive and will include funding for school renovations to the tune of $100 billion, removal of lead pipes, and access to broadband Internet in rural, underserved parts of the country. Airports and inland waterways will also see investment. The plan is also innovative in that it will include $40 billion set aside strictly for a Transformational Projects Fund. Through this fund, we could return to our roots of American Exceptionalism and attack large complex projects in a way like never before. Not only does the plan call for big investments in construction; there is also a component focused on evaluating the resiliency and long-term sustainability of what we are building.
The new administration also wants to tackle the threat of climate change with an aggressive plan to spend $2 trillion on clean energy projects. This thrust to build a more sustainable America could create millions of high-paying jobs in emerging, technical fields. The ultimate goal is to focus on green energy is to make strides toward a carbon-free America by 2035. Though Biden came short of fully endorsing the Green New Deal proposed by some members of Congress on the campaign trail, President-elect Biden seems to be serious about climate change and believes in the transformational power of this new technology on our economy and workforce. Investing in green jobs is a layup for an administration that will be facing record levels of unemployment as the country emerges from the global pandemic.
Regardless of political party, it is clear that the nation wants progress on infrastructure improvements. Building infrastructure is a tangible benefit to the country, unlike the bickering over ideological issues. A new bridge or wind turbine is something physical and powerful that indicates our politicians are working on getting things done for us. Investment in infrastructure and making deals over where to spend money will serve as an opportunity for Red State and Blue State Congress members to work together.
This plan may be a big win for the engineering community. We could have our marching orders within a few weeks of the Inauguration and should be ready to get to work doing what we do best. This is why we became engineers—to serve the nation and build for future generations. American engineers are ready to help Build Back Better, wherever we are needed.