Monday, February 24, 2025, 7:25AM |  33°
MENU
Advertisement

Infrastructure spending may create jobs, advocates say

Infrastructure spending may create jobs, advocates say

Manufacturers group pushes for $100B yearly rise

Increasing spending on roads, bridges, mass transit and other infrastructure by $100 billion annually for 15 years would create 1.3 million jobs and boost household take-home pay $1,300 by 2020, according to a report commissioned by the National Association of Manufacturers.

The Washington, D.C., industry group urged Congress and the White House to take a bipartisan, long-term approach to funding infrastructure improvements. Jay Timmons, NAM president and CEO, told reporters that the lack of investment is retarding economic growth and making America less competitive.

“What we can’t accept is inaction,” Mr. Timmons said during a conference call Tuesday. “This is a critical challenge of our time.”

Advertisement

Government infrastructure spending, adjusted for inflation, fell 1.2 percent annually between 2003 and 2012 to $379 billion, according to the report prepared by economic forecasters at the University of Maryland.

Part of the problem has been the failure of Congress to authorize stable, long-term funding for highway projects. Lawmakers provided a temporary solution again this year with a surface transportation bill that expires in May. The federal gasoline tax, a major source of funding for highway projects, has not been increased since 1993.

“We would like to see Congress, frankly, do its job,” Mr. Timmons said.

The study estimated that every dollar spent on infrastructure would create benefits of $3 by 2030.

Advertisement

“It is a true investment that pays off at a very high rate of return,” said Jeffrey Werling, executive director of the University of Maryland’s Interindustry Forecasting Project and co-author of the report.

 
Infrastructure expenditures

First Published: September 24, 2014, 4:00 a.m.

RELATED
SHOW COMMENTS (0)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
Protesters gathered at the corner of Murray and Forbes avenues to speak out against the Trump administration's policies on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, in Squirrel Hill.
1
news
'We will fight back': Hundreds rally in Squirrel Hill in opposition of Trump, Musk and president's administration
The University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning
2
business
Amid funding uncertainty, Pitt pauses doctoral admissions
This undated photo provided by the Denver Police Department shows Andrew Duarte who served as a Denver police officer from 2017 to 2022.
3
news
Officer killed in York hospital shootout was PennWest California graduate
York County District Attorney Timothy J. Barker reacts during a news conference regarding the shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, Pa. on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.
4
news
Police officer killed, gunman dead in shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York
Kash Patel, new Federal Bureau of Investigation director, speaks after he is sworn in during a ceremony at the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building within the White House complex Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, in Washington.
5
news
New FBI Director Kash Patel will also be named acting head of the ATF, source says
Advertisement
LATEST business
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story