Government, industry and labor-union officials on May 11-15 marked the third-annual Infrastructure Week by speaking about the economic importance of highways, rail lines, waterways, ports and other public works at events held around the U.S. But hovering over all the speeches was deep frustration over the lack of progress in Congress on infrastructure advocates' prime goal: a long-term surface-transportation bill.
At the program's May 11 Washington, D.C., kickoff event, attendees heard Vice President Joe Biden declare, "We have to have the most modern infrastructure in the world." But he also noted that federal transportation infrastructure spending was just 1% of the gross domestic product. Biden cited the Obama administration's $478-billion, six-year GROW AMERICA transportation bill as a way to help close the gap, but Congress hasn't endorsed that proposal. The unresolved issue is how to pay for a long-term plan.