Skip to main content

Trump calls on Congress to produce $1.5tn bill for infrastructure

President Donald Trump has announced a plan in his State of Union to push Congress to approve a $1.5tn (£1.05tn) scheme which he described will “build gleaming new roads, bridges, highways, railways, and waterways across our land.” A report from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association revealed that 54,259 of the nation’s bridges are rated structurally deficient with Americans crossing them 174 million times a day. The president added that every Federal dollar should be leveraged by
February 1, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

President Donald Trump has announced a plan in his State of Union to push Congress to approve a $1.5tn (£1.05tn) scheme which he described will “build gleaming new roads, bridges, highways, railways, and waterways across our land.” A %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external report American Road &amp; Transport website link false https://www.artba.org/2018/01/29/54000-american-bridges-structurally-deficient-analysis-new-federal-data-shows/ false false%> from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association revealed that 54,259 of the nation’s bridges are rated structurally deficient with Americans crossing them 174 million times a day.

The president added that every Federal dollar should be leveraged by partnering with State and local governments, and where appropriate, tap into private sector investment to fix the infrastructure deficit.
 
Shailen Bhatt, CEO and president of ITS America, believes that the president’s announcement represents a major opportunity for the ITS industry. Speaking to ITS International, he said: “If you want to leverage dollars, there’s no better tool in your toolbox than ITS technologies.”

Other key findings in the report showed that 226,837 U.S. bridges and 17,726 interstate highway bridges have identified repair needs. In addition, it revealed that Iowa has the most structurally deficient bridges with 5,067 followed by Pennsylvania’s 4,173 while at least 15% of bridges in Rhode Island, Iowa, West Virginia South Dakota, Pennsylvania and Nebraska all fall under the structurally deficient category.

Related Content

  • iMobility Challenge
    February 28, 2013
    The iMobility Challenge, a high-level technology demonstration day during which visitors, both public and professionals, can take the driver's seat and experience the latest mobility applications takes place on Wednesday 11 September 2013 Valkenburg Airport, Katwijk in the Netherlands. Participants will get an overview of a diverse variety of technologies, systems, services & actual deployment examples in the field of efficient, cooperative, smart and safe mobility. The iMobility Challenge event will be f
  • Feig delivers 600 RFID readers to improve tolling in India
    December 7, 2018
    Feig Electronic has deployed more than 600 radio frequency identification (RFID) readers in India to allow drivers to pay for tolls without stopping at toll booths. The delivery is part of the National Highway Authority in India’s (NHAI) Fastag programme, an open road tolling method that relies on open ISO standard RFID technology. In a statement, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways says Fastag enabled vehicles can pass through dedicated lanes without stopping at toll plazas on national highways.
  • Passport brings traffic management platform to the UK
    September 21, 2018
    UK drivers ‘rack up’ more than £570m in fines each year, according to an independent study conducted by US mobile payment company Passport. The firm has opened an office in London and is offering a platform which it says aims to boost traffic management in cities. Called Passport Platform, the solution is intended to connect multiple modes of transportation and payments and provide a way for cities to understand, manage and collaborate with an ecosystem of mobility services. Adam Warnes, vice presid
  • ITE announces three new honorary members
    February 23, 2018
    Washington’s Institute of Transportation (ITE) has elected Marsha Anderson Bomar, John J. Kennedy and W. Hibbett Neel as honorary members. The membership is presented to individuals of notable and outstanding professional achievement. Bomar is the executive director of the Gateway85 Community Improvement District, where her focus is on mobility, infrastructure, safety, security, and economic development. She was previously founder and president of Street Smarts and Data Smarts and is an international past