Those are some of the improvements Americans might see under the economic stimulus package moving through Congress. The proposal, which outlines spending and tax cuts of more than $800 billion, includes funding that would revamp long-neglected roads, power grids and levees across the United States.
In Pittsburgh, authorities want some of that money for an $11 million rehabilitation of the 85-year-old Liberty Tunnel, which is used by more than 63,000 vehicles daily. The tunnel's walls were last refurbished in the 1970s. "It's in dire need," said Jim Struzzi, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
Nationwide, the estimated $90 billion to $100 billion in proposed infrastructure spending amounts to a mere down payment on what's needed to repair and improve the country's physical backbone. And not all economists agree it's an effective way to add jobs in the long term, or stimulate the economy. Some of the bill's tax cuts and government benefits may prove better at reviving demand for goods and services.
There is little debate about the state of the country's infrastructure, which has deteriorated over time or from a lack of maintenance, or been rendered inadequate by population growth. Potholed roads, weakening dams and bridges and leaky pipes affect public safety, not to mention commerce.
The American Society of Civil Engineers says fixing the nation's roads, dumps, dams, bridges, schools and rail systems will cost some $2.2 trillion over the next five years. Even with current spending and the proposed stimulus money, that means a funding shortfall of about $1.1 trillion, said Patrick Natale, the group's executive director.
All told, the infrastructure portion of the bill includes about $39 billion for roads and transit, $32 billion for energy, $9 billion for clean water and $20 billion for public schools, according to James Heintz, associate research professor at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, who co-authored a report for the Alliance for American Manufacturing, a partnership of manufacturing companies and the United Steelworkers union.
Some of the money would go toward so-called "shovel-ready" projects, which require only funding to move forward.
Companies that stand to gain include steel makers, cement companies, and glass, rubber and plastics manufacturers. But analysts warn the stimulus money could take months to reach the marketplace and boost product demand.
Heintz, whose report was based on the House version of the bill, estimates 18,000 new jobs would be created for every $1 billion spent.
Though the spending may create jobs in construction - a sector hard hit by the economic meltdown - those jobs merely would be diverted from other parts of the economy in the long run, said Alan Viard, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank.
Others say it's a worthy long-term investment, though an unusual way of stimulating short-term economic growth as large construction projects may take years to build.
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