In his Jan. 20 inaugural address, President Barack Obama focused on broad themes, asking his vast audience to �begin again the work of remaking America.� He said the economy needs �action, bold and swift� and then got more specific, talking about building �roads and bridges and electric grids.� That phrase no doubt grabbed the attention of recession-wounded construction officials who hope that their immediate priority, an infrastructure-oriented economic stimulus bill, also will rise to the front of the new President�s agenda. Photo: AP/Wideworld Obama called for �action, bold and swift� to aid economy, citing roads, bridges. Photo: AP/Wideworld Pelosi calls
The $825-billion economic stimulus proposal that House Democrats unveiled on Jan. 15 provides the first firm numbers for construction industry executives who for months have been searching anxiously for hints about the plan. Infrastructure advocates panned the proposal as far short of what is needed. Pelosi says “this is the first step.” But with House of Representatives committee and floor votes and Senate action still to come, the package is far from the last word on the stimulus. As drafted, the plan would have a major impact on construction. By ENR’s calculation, the package has about $135 billion in construction
As lawmakers on Capitol Hill talk about what they want and don’t want to see in an expected economic stimulus package, President-elect Barack Obama is urging them to act as quickly as possible on his still-developing proposal. Obama cautions that if legislators delay, the crisis will only get worse. As markets watch, President-elect says proposal will include tax cuts and spending. “For every day we wait or point fingers or drag our feet, more Americans will lose their jobs,” Obama warned in a Jan. 8 speech. “And our nation will sink deeper into a crisis that, at some point, we
A planned rail transit spur in northern Virginia has moved another step forward, with U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters' approval of a $900-million, multi-year federal funding commitment towards the project's $2.6-billion first phase. With Peters' Jan. 7 action, the proposed "full funding grant agreement" goes to Congress for a 60-day review. Slide Show Photo: Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority First phase would carry line part way to Dulles airport. Related Links: FTA Approves First-Phase Funds for Virginia Rail Project The $900 million would help finance an 11.6-mile first stage of a planned 23-mile extension of of the Washington Metropolitan Area
With uncertainty in the air about how rapidly Congress will move on an economic stimulus package, President-elect Barack Obama urged lawmakers to act as quickly as possible on his still-developing plan, warning that if they do not, the current crisis will only worsen. Photo: AP/Wideworld President-elect Obama presses for stimulus. In a Jan. 8 speech at George Mason University in Virginia, Obama fleshed out some of the elements of the developing plan in more detail than he has so far, and reiterated that it would include aid for highways, school repairs, modernization of federal buildings and a boost for alternative
Under intense scrutiny from engineers, politicians and the public, Bruce A. Magladry, director of the National Transportation Safety Board office of highway safety, oversaw a 15-month probe of the 2007 I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis, in which 13 people died and 145 were injured.
With the 111th Congress officially begun and President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration near, construction industry and state officials are hungering for details of the promised economic-stimulus plan. But it’s still uncertain how big the package will be, how much will go for infrastructure and how large the shares will be for highways, transit, water and other types of public works. “The economy is badly damaged. It is very sick,” Obama said on Jan. 5. He wants quick action on a stimulus measure, saying, “I expect to sign a bill to create 3 million jobs for the American people shortly after I
President-elect Barack Obama’s picks to lead the departments of transportation and labor took many construction industry officials by surprise. Obama announced on Dec. 19 that he had chosen 14-year Republican congressman Ray LaHood (Ill.) to serve as transportation secretary and Rep. Hilda Solis (D-Calif.), as labor secretary. Photo: AP/Wideworld Solis and LaHood were not on everyone’s short list. Industry officials were caught off guard by LaHood’s nomination. He wasn’t on the rumor-mill lists of possible candidates and has not been a leading legislator on transportation matters, though he did serve on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for his first six
President-elect Barack Obama's choice to lead the Dept. of Transportation, 14-year Republican congressman Ray LaHood (Ill.), took construction industry officials by surprise. LaHood's name didn't appear on rumor-mill lists of possible candidates to lead the Dept. of Transportation. Obama formally announced LaHood as his pick to be DOT Secretary on Dec. 19. Ray LaHood He hasn't been a leading legislator on transportation matters, though he served on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for his first six years in the House. Nevertheless, Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), the Transportation committee's current chairman, says he believes LaHood will be "an excellent—superb infact—secretary of
The U.S. Interior Dept. issued final regulations on Dec. 11 that clarify when consultations with other agencies are required under the Endangered Species Act. Interior says the change was needed to prevent lawmakers from using the law as a back door way to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions. The new rules were narrower than an August proposal, which was widely criticized by environmental groups. The final version permits agencies to forgo consultation only in limited circumstances, Interior says. Sen. James Inhofe (Okla.), the top environment committee Republican, calls the revision “a step in the right direction.” But the National Audubon Society is
