Infrastructure in the News: March 19, 2010

According to Huffington Post job-creation advocates are critical toward Obama's agenda and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick highlighted in a press release the early success of accelerated bridge program. Find out more in this Infrastructure in the News.

National News

Huffington Post: Job-Creation Advocates Say Obama Just Doesn't Get It
...Panelists agreed that there are things the government can do to dramatically grow jobs in this country, such as creating a national infrastructure bank, funding youth jobs programs, establishing strong industrial and trade policies in general and recalibrating the relationship with China in particular. But those things are simply not on Obama's agenda.

Logistics Management: Green logistics/transportation infrastructure: New report calls for a freight 'clean up'
A report released today by the Environmental Defense Fund calls for Congress to include comprehensive funding policies for the first time in the next transportation reauthorization bill that would take steps to modernize and clean up freight transportation, which the report said is the most polluting and fastest growing transportation sector.

NY Times: Upgrading Water Projects: A View From the Industry
...There could be billions of dollars in private money available for infrastructure investment, and several efforts are under way in Congress to free up those dollars by removing impediments to private investment. Two such proposals would adjust the tax code to expand the use and availability of tax-exempt bonds for water projects and develop an infrastructure bank to supplement loan funds for infrastructure while increasing private capital investment.

State News

Christian Science Monitor: Midwest gets a jump on high-speed rail
Illinois is starting projects such as the renovation of Chicago's Union Station to prepare for the $1.2 billion infusion of federal money for high-speed rail.

Press Release: Mass. Gov. Patrick Highlights Early Success Of Historic Accelerated Bridge Program
Governor Deval Patrick today toured the Interstate 190 Bridge over Route 12 in Worcester to highlight the early success of the Patrick-Murray Administration’s unprecedented $3 billion, eight-year Accelerated Bridge Program (ABP) to reduce the Commonwealth’s backlog of structurally-deficient bridges. In less than two years, 13 ABP bridge projects have been completed with 62 more projects beginning or continuing this upcoming construction season, creating hundreds of engineering and construction jobs and providing long-term savings in avoided inflation and deferred maintenance costs.

Courier Journal: Daniels signs bills on bridges, guns
Indiana has granted a bi-state authority permission to use a public-private partnership with tolls to construct the Ohio River Bridges project. Gov. Mitch Daniels signed the measure into law Thursday. Senate Enrolled Act 382 means the Louisville-Southern Indiana Bridges Authority can move forward with tolls or private funding for the two planned bridges – if that’s what the group decides is the best way to pay for the $4.1 billion project – without going back to the Indiana General Assembly...“While other states are shuttering their highway programs, Indiana is shattering all records for infrastructure investment, and this could extend that record with enormous benefit to Hoosiers at opposite corners of our state,” Daniels said in a statement.