HIGHWAYS, AIRPORTS AND RAIL ROADS

President-elect Obama said, "We will create millions of jobs by making the single largest new investment in our national infrastructure since the creation of the federal highway system in the 1950's." He would like the bill ready to be signed when he takes office in January.

The idea is to build the more than 5,000 highway projects, that are "ready to go" (at a cost estimated at $64.3 billion ($64,300,000,000.00). "Ready to go" means the project could be under contract within 180 days. The proposed plan would help reduce the number of crumbling bridges and highways in the United States. It would also create an estimated 2,000,000, to 2,500,000 jobs.

In November there were 533,000 workers in the United States that lost their jobs, bringing the total estimated unemployment in the United States at about 1.8 million workers, the worst drop in a month in 34 years. Forty three of the fifty (43 of 50) states have deficits to deal with.

Texas has the most projects with a total 853, with Alaska having the fewest projects with four. The amount of some of the projects are as follows: Utah $10.8 billion, Florida $7 billion, Texas $6 billion, North Carolina $5.2 billion, and California $5 billion. The lowest priced projects were in Vermont $78.4 million and Washington D. C. at $46 million.

There is also talk of spending $1 billion on the nations airports (runways and other airport improvements). The rail road systems in the United States are are looking for $3.4 billion (for rail station improvements and track improvements). State Governors made the rounds of Capital Hill recently saying that including school repairs, water and sewer repairs to the highway proposal, that the states actually need $136 billion ($136,000,000,000.00).

John Horsley, Executive Director, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials said, "If we're given resources through the economic recovery bill that allows states to proceed with jump-start investment like we're talking about, we'll be able to put up to 1.8 million Americans back to work."