Taxpayers are getting a poor return on federal infrastructure investments

Read the full op-ed at the Los Angeles Daily News here.

The Department of Transportation recently announced the distribution of $5 billion to repair “nationally significant” bridges across the country. Pledging infrastructure investment is one thing, but converting the money into finished projects that benefit American taxpayers is another.

Thus far, the White House has failed to deliver on the latter.

The $1.2 trillion infrastructure package—passed in 2021—is case and point. During the signing ceremony at the White House, President Biden noted, “America is moving again and your life is going to change for the better.”

The rhetoric is welcome as the country’s foundation is seemingly crumbling with major train derailments, bridge collapses, and highway failures grabbing major national headlines. In fact, in the latest report card, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the country’s infrastructure a C-minus.

But fast forward nearly three years and the funding hasn’t made a big impact.

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On paper, the ongoing exercise to restore the country’s infrastructure—ranging from rails to roads—is welcome. But as is too often the case, efforts are being stymied by a sluggish federal bureaucracy tied up in its own regulatory quagmire.

As a result, taxpayers are getting a poor return on their investment.

Jackson Shedelbower is the executive director of the Center for Transportation Policy.