From the Erie Canal to the transcontinental railroad, from the rural electrification of the New Deal to the interstate highway system, the United States over the past two centuries has built massive infrastructure projects to meet the needs of a modern society.
Dams, roads, ports and rail lines – it is inconceivable that the U.S. could have built the world’s strongest economy without them. But over the past several decades, as that infrastructure aged or even crumbled, big projects became increasingly rare, exorbitantly expensive and politically difficult.
The era of clearing urban neighborhoods to build highways is long over. But the cost of merely maintaining the existing road system continues to soak up a large percentage of the federal transportation budget. The U.S. still has no true high-speed rail systems and hasn’t built a major airport since the 1990s.
In this episode of History As It Happens, transportation historian Jonathan English explains why American infrastructure plans are shrinking even as global economic competitiveness intensifies.
“The cost of maintaining what’s already there was enormous. The second problem is the sheer cost of building in the United States,” said Mr. English, a fellow at the Marron Institute of Urban Management at New York University.
Moreover, the U.S. lacks the necessary expertise common in such countries as China where high-speed rail construction has soared.
Although President Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan may sound big on paper, Mr. English said it largely will cover the cost of maintenance rather than trigger expansive new construction programs across infrastructure categories.
To listen to the full interview with Jonathan English, download this episode of History As It Happens.
