Here are ten projects that Trump could make a start on to rebuild some of America's infrastructure and take a leaf out of FDR's book.
From the New York Times.
1) Hudson River rail tunnel (Cost: $23.9 billion)
The Northeast Corridor needs another rail link connecting NYC/Manhattan and northern New Jersey. The current overcrowded tunnel is over 100 years old and was severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy.
2) California high-speed rail (Cost: $65 billion)
This would be America’s first modern high-speed rail project and could connect San Francisco and Los Angeles in under three hours.
3) The Gordie Howe International Bridge (Cost: $2.1 billion)
Detroit needs another link with Canada. The privately owned Ambassador Bridge,which connects Detroit and Windsor serves over three million vehicles a year and is one of the busiest border crossings in North America.
4) Project Clean Lake (Cost: $3 billion)
Seven new sewage and water tunnels would rescue Cleveland’s antiquated lines, which are overwhelmed by even moderate rainfall and feed contaminated water into Lake Erie.
5) Northeast Corridor maglev (Cost: $100 billion)
Magnetically levitated trains traveling at 300 miles per hour on a cushion of air could cut the commute from New York to Washington to an hour and render the painfully slow Acela obsolete.
6) Miami sea wall (Cost: $20 billion)
Miami is one of the cities most vulnerable to rising sea levels and ocean surges. If the Atlantic Ocean rises just five feet, 96 percent of Miami Beach will be submerged. A system of levees, sea walls and storm surge protectors like the Netherlands uses, which are giant sea doors that open and close automatically to protect Rotterdam could be attractive and effective. Miami could be a prototype for other endangered coastal cities and ports including Boston, Charleston, Galveston, Savannah and New Orleans.
7) Denver I-70 east (Cost: $1.17 billion)
Denver is trying to put a section of Interstate 70 underground to reconnect the city’s urban fabric and use four acres of the reclaimed space for parks, bike paths and walks, and farmers’ markets. The green space could be much larger, further reducing pollution.
8) Maryland Purple Line (Cost: $5.6 billion)
The Washington metro area suffers from some of the worst traffic congestion in America. The state of Maryland wants to build more than 16 miles of light rail to link its suburbs to Washington’s existing Metro system and Amtrak. Supporters say it would remove 17,000 cars each day from area roads.
9) South Carolina dams (Cost: $685 million)
After a single heavy rain in 2015 breached more than 50 dams and caused widespread flooding, the Army Corps of Engineers assessed over 600 dams in South Carolina as either “high” or “significant” hazards. A single large project could modernize the state’s system of dams and water control.
10) Texas bullet train (Cost: $10 billion)
Even without a federal program Texas is actively looking for private investors for a high-speed rail link between Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston. Passengers would make the 240-mile, one-stop trip in 90 minutes. If successful the line could be extended to San Antonio and Austin.
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