Infrastructure Projects In the Obama Administration --- a Bright Spot In An Otherwise Gloomy Future

From the early days of his presidential campaign, President-Elect Obama has emphasized the importance, and priority, of rebuilding our nation's infrastructure. At first, this was not particularly tied to the goal of job creation, or at least that part of the equation was not stressed. But as the economic downturn spiraled out of control in the past months, rebuilding infrastructure became explicitly tied to creating a large number of new jobs.

State and local governments are very much on board with investing in infrastructure, and doing it quickly. At a meeting of the National Governors Association earlier this week in Philadelphia, the governors told Mr. Obama that over $130 billion worth of infrastructure projects have already won regulatory approval and just need funding to "get the shovels in the ground". Thousands of jobs could be created if these projects could get underway.

It seems that the specific types of projects mentioned most frequently are roads, bridges and schools. This is certainly good news for construction companies who are in the business of horizontal construction and manufacturers of road and bridge-building materials. It is also good news for the many construction companies who have long done business with local counties and school boards.

There are other kinds of infrastructure projects that also should be undertaken --- light rail and other forms of mass transit, wide-ranging installation of broadband, and other things that are badly overdue and will help move our country forward. To read more about President-Elect Obama's conversation with the governors about this subject, click here. (This blog entry was published by Karen Carey, a member of Womble Carlyle's construction law and real estate development practice group.)