Are Obama's infrastructure plans safety-friendly?

In the wake of a financial crisis, many state governments respond by investing heavily in infrastructure in an effort to get a country back on its feet or, more specifically, back on the road. In January this year, then President-elect Barack Obama spoke of "the largest investment in infrastructure since the creation of the interstate highway system under Dwight D. Eisenhower."

Obama's multi-billion dollar stimulus plan has pledged a significant amount to the extreme makeover of the nation's infrastructure, targeting roads, bridges, and other public works. But, do Obama's infrastructure plans meet safety requirements?

It would appear that many states are not using the money designated to infrastructure from Obama's emergency funding as they should be, instead choosing to spend it on 'easier projects'. Thousands of American bridges could be structurally unsafe because of this. A study by the Associated Press reveals that nearly half of the 2,476 bridges due to receive stimulus cash will fight over the $1.2 billion given for repairs, despite these bridges receiving high inspection ratings. In contrast, of the $17 billion transportation stimulus money from the Obama administration, 70 percent will be spent on 'easier projects' such as the re-surfacing of roads.

President Obama's infrastructure plans are safety-friendly on paper - to invest in projects such as weak bridges and dangerous roads to prevent a repeat of the l-34W Mississippi River Bridge collapse in 2007, where 13 people were killed. And his pledge goes beyond roads and bridges, to other programs that promise a "long-term payoff" for the America tax-payer. This includes getting medical records into electronic form, school construction, and making the US economy more energy efficient. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan aims at creating or saving three to four million jobs over the next two years.

However, one the biggest obstacles that Obama's infrastructure plans face in terms of meeting safety requirements, are those in charge of state budgets. If states choose to spend their stimulus money on the easier rather than the urgent projects, then it is very difficult for the safety of the US infrastructure projects to improve.

But, the government has a vital role to play. As Transportation Secretary Mary Peters says, "the US is one of the few countries in the world to make the majority of its transportation investments without first conducting any kind of economic analysis to determine whether those investments will have any practical benefits." It is the ill-conceived and badly thought out projects which can lead to safety being compromised.

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