State transportation officials have a list of projects ready to go should Congress approve President Donald Trump’s (R) plan to inject a huge influx of cash to improve the nation’s infrastructure.
The five projects mostly focus on New Castle County. The biggest lift would be a complete overhaul of a four-mile stretch of I-95 to where it meets I-495.
Other projects include a rebuild of Terminal Avenue from the Port of Wilmington to Route 9 and reconstructing Route 1 interchanges in North Dover – a project that’s currently near the bottom of DelDOT’s priority list.
Trump vowed to pump $1 trillion into America’s aging system of roads and bridges during a joint session of Congress Tuesday night.
“Another Republican president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, initiated the last truly great national infrastructure program – the building of the interstate highway system. The time has come for a new program of national rebuilding,” he said.
Senate Democrats released a similar $1 trillion proposal in January, but said they would pay for it by closing tax loopholes for businesses and wealthier people. It’s unclear which loopholes they would specifically target to fund the plan.
Instead, Trump favors a mix of public and private dollars to limit federal spending.
During the speech, the new president criticized an estimated $6 trillion spent among the United States’ multiple warfronts in the Middle East and elsewhere since the early 2000s.
“With that $6 trillion, we could have rebuilt our country twice and maybe even three times if we had people who had the ability to negotiate,” he said.
Either plan needs Congressional approval before being implemented.