Democratic presidential candidate and now former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg recently released a $1 trillion infrastructure plan that his campaign says would be rolled out over the course of a decade if he were elected in November.
"The current administration has been incapable of keeping its promise to pass major infrastructure legislation, and critical projects around the country are stalled because of it," Mayor Buttigieg said in a statement on the campaign website. "Meanwhile, our roads and bridges crumble, our schools fall into disrepair, water systems poison our children, and our flood protection systems fail as climate change accelerates."
The campaign website says the $1 trillion infrastructure investment would go toward achieving "measurable outcomes for opportunity, equity, and empowerment." This includes a goal of creating six million infrastructure-related jobs and updating and fixing the majority of roads and bridges in poor condition by 2030.
Among the transportation-specific points of the plan, the Buttigieg campaign says it plans to double the BUILD program and create a Local Leaders Office at the U.S. DOT to help local communities more easily access federal funds and expertise. The plan also talks about creating a new $3 billion grant program for transportation projects of national significance "to facilitate collaboration across states and regions."
The plan to update the nation's roads and bridges includes a $50 billion grant program for states to repair bridges, as well as a promise to inject $165 billion into the Highway Trust Fund to ensure it remains solvent through 2029.
In terms of road safety, Buttigieg is calling for a system that would connect funding to safety performance by requiring state transportation agencies to set targets that reduce fatalities and injuries and are consistent with a national Vision Zero goal.
On the public transportation side, the former South Bend mayor says he plans to invest $150 million to support cities and towns in providing equitable public transportation—including improved options for subway, light rail, bus rapid transit, and last mile service—and to expand accessible rural public transportation with a $12 billion investment.
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SOURCE: Pete for America
