Another Infrastructure Week (the real one) just wrapped up, and after seven years many of the core themes remain the same. Crumbling roads and bridges. Desperate calls for new investment. A high national price tag for repair and revitalization. Little progress.
What makes this year different is a $2 trillion announcement and the continued drama of White House and Congressional meetings to motivate action. But are major media announcements what the country needs to reform how we invest in infrastructure?
The answer is no. Federal leaders need to recognize and reward places that take the initiative on infrastructure investment. Otherwise, there will be a continued lack of action. Instead of big dollar announcements, setting expectations that proactive state and local investments will be rewarded—for example, with matching funds—can have far more immediate value.
The Brookings Institute
by Shalini Vajjhala
Tuesday, May 28, 2019