Facts & Quotes

  • The port of Shanghai has as much container capacity as all US ports combined. Brookings Institute, 2008
  • Freight railroad bottlenecks cost about $200 billion (1.6% of GDP) per year. The Presidents Economic Recovery Advisory Board, December 2009
  • Freight traffic on US railroads increased more than 50% from 1990 to 2003. The Brookings Institute: A Bridge to Somewhere, June 2008
  • Freight tonnage is estimated to increase 88% through 2035. Preliminary National Rail Plan, October 2009
  • 43 million tons move through our transportation infrastructure daily. U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 2008
  • Americans will spend at least 160 hours each year in traffic by 2035. American Road and Transportation Builders Association, 2008
  • Highway traffic will double over the next 30 years. American Road and Transportation Builders Association, 2008
  • Our nation is expected to grow by 100 million over the next 30 years. American Road and Transportation Builders Association, 2008
  • Rolling blackouts and electrical grid inefficiencies cost an estimated $80 billion a year. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2005
  • 81% of Americans are willing to pay more in taxes to rebuild American infrastructure. Luntz, Maslansky Strategic Research, 2009
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