Fix Our Infrastructure

Exhibit 4 below is the portion of the ASRP that will help to “Fix Our Infrastructure.”  It is supported by Appendix 10B, which is the current scorecard by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) for the shortfall in the funding needed for infrastructure projects identified between 2020 and 2029.  The current ASCE Report Card estimates a shortfall of $2.588 trillion and an infrastructure Grade Point Average (GPA) of C-, up from D+ on the last scorecard.

The Biden Administration has already obtained approval for about $1.2 trillion in infrastructure funding.  To fully fund the shortfall and future needs for infrastructure funding, America must begin fixing our relationship problems, our democracy problems, and our money problems.  However, the implementation of the infrastructure projects that have already been identified and funded should be ongoing.

Appendix 10A, (ASCE-2017 Infrastructure Report Card. n.d.), is an estimate by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) of the shortfall in the funding needed for infrastructure projects as identified between 2016 and 2025, which have been assigned to the appropriate Cabinet Departments for the planning and scheduling of these projects.  The 2017 ASCE Report Card estimated a shortfall of $2,064.1 billion spread over eleven (11) different infrastructure areas, and an infrastructure Grade Point Average (GPA) of D+ on the scorecard.

Appendix 10B, (ASCE-2021 Infrastructure Report Card. n.d.), is an estimate of the ASCE shortfall in the funding needed for infrastructure projects identified between 2020 and 2029.  The current 2021 Report Card shows a slight improvement over the 2017 Report Card.  The overall GPA goes from a D+ to a C- on the scorecard.  However, the total shortfall in funding increased from $2,064.1 billion to $2,588.0 billion; an increase of $523.9 billion over the 4 years from 2017 to 2021.   

Other longer-range infrastructure projects that should be considered are projects to reduce highway traffic congestion and air traffic congestion between short-distance major city pairs that have close economic or political ties, such as the following:

  1. Two-way highspeed elevated rail transportation between New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington DC.
  2. Two-way highspeed elevated rail transportation between Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston.
  3. Consider two-way elevated rail transportation between other major cities with traffic congestion problems.
  4. Two-way transportation within these major cities to move passengers from these two-way elevated rail hubs to all parts of each major city.

If properly planned, these projects could greatly reduce CO2 emissions and traffic congestion.

When the money problems associated with the public debt and the ceiling on government spending due to the public debt are resolved by converting from a Debt/Credit-Based Monetary System to the proposed Asset/Capital-Based Monetary System, the Federal Government would be able to generate funding for these infrastructure projects and the proposed environmental projects, which would create many new jobs and new industries.

The additional money to fund these projects would come from the interest charged to banks and other lending institutions, from the Federal Government through the FED, from bonds sold to the public and businesses, from income and savings from the sale and use of excess recycled assets, and from the additional taxes received from the new jobs and industries generated by the infrastructure and environmental projects.  The PPIS would be used to track the progress of these initiatives.

Exhibit 4 - Fix Our Infrastructure

Appendix 10A - Estimate and Score Card of U.S. Infrastructure Needs 2017-2025

Appendix 10B - Estimate and Score Card of U.S. Infrastructure Needs 2021-2029