MO Gets C-Minus in Report on States’ Infrastructure Needs
Date Posted: May 13, 2021
Posted In: Discussion, News,
From St. Louis Post-Dispatch: President Joe Biden’s administration on Monday amplified its push for a $2.3 trillion infrastructure package with a release of state-by-state breakdowns that show the dire shape of roads, bridges, the power grid and housing affordability across the nation.
The state summaries, which assigned Missouri a grade of C-minus, painted a decidedly bleak outlook for the world’s largest economy after years of repairs being deferred and delayed.
They suggest that too much infrastructure is unsafe for vehicles at any speed, while highlighting the costs of extreme weather events that have become more frequent with climate change as well as dead spots for broadband and a dearth of child care options.
Following the release of the report, Biden met with a bipartisan group of lawmakers in an effort to assure them he’s sincere about cutting a deal. But the president faces strong opposition from Republicans, many of whom question what he counts as infrastructure and how he intends to pay for it.
“I’m prepared to negotiate as to the extent of my infrastructure project, as well as how we pay for it,” Biden said. “It’s going to get down to what we call ‘infrastructure.’”
Among the four Republicans on the White House guest list Monday were Sens. Roger Wicker of Mississippi and Deb Fischer of Nebraska and Reps. Garret Graves of Louisiana and Don Young of Alaska. Democrats on the list were Sens. Maria Cantwell of Washington and Alex Padilla of California and Reps. Donald Payne Jr. of New Jersey and David Price of North Carolina.
By releasing state-by-state data, Biden’s team was hoping to make the case to the public that the bill is essential.
Drawn from an array of private and public data, the reports show there are 7,300 miles of highway in Michigan alone that are in poor condition. Damaged streets in North Carolina impose an average yearly cost of $500 on motorists. Iowa has 4,571 bridges in need of repair. There is a roughly four-in-10 chance that a public transit vehicle in Indiana might be ready for the scrap yard. Pennsylvania’s schools are short $1.4 billion for maintenance and upgrades.