From the Institute for Energy Research
If you thought that the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill passed by Congress last year would fix America's roads and bridges, think again. Only $40 billion in the bill is allocated to roads and bridges with just $26.5 billion for fixing the nation's bridges. The $40 billion is a pittance compared to the $156 billion for mass transit and rail that the bill funds despite low ridership that was made even worse than normal due to the coronavirus pandemic. People are afraid to be confined in indoor congested spaces such as subway cars or rail cars as the coronavirus persists in its variant forms. Further, mass transit has already received $70 billion in pandemic relief to support them through times of less ridership.
It is clear that bridges and roads took a distant back seat to "green" pork in the infrastructure bill and that the Biden administration is furthering working in that direction with its guidance on project priorities. Biden's Department of Transportation is prioritizing mass transit, rail and electric vehicle charging to road and bridge improvements. Outside of only a handful of densely-populated, walkable cities, vehicle ownership remains a necessity for most Americans to be able to commute to jobs and doctor appointments and to conduct errands. It is doubtful that many Americans have bought into this allocation of funds in the infrastructure bill and the Biden administration priorities that are being set where needed road construction and bridge repair would not be conducted, causing fatalities and injuries to increase. It turns out that with transportation priorities, as with many other things headed by the Biden administration, it is important to distinguish words from actions.
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