First Impressions of Obama’s Big Infrastructure Announcement

President Obama gave the first outlines yesterday of a $50 billion plan for new infrastructure investment, which would provide funds for the expansion of high-speed rail and local transit systems, road construction and repair, and runway upgrades at airports. A centerpiece of the proposal is the creation of a national infrastructure bank, which would pool public and private funds to finance transportation projects.

The infrastructure plan also offers a glimpse of the administration's priorities when it comes to the reauthorization of the national transportation bill. Here's a sampling of what Streetsblog Network members are saying in response:

Transportation for America called the plan "fundamental to the long-term health of our economy." Director James Corless issued this statement:

Yonah Freemark at The Transport Politic asks how the timing of the infrastructure push will affect its chances in Congress:

James Rowen at The Political Environment had a front row view of the President's speech, given at a labor rally in Milwaukee:

I loved the administration's commitment to a national passenger rail system; jobs and growth for Milwaukee will be and already are the local outcomes.

Rowen thinks the plan might win broad support, even in this divided political climate, though not necessarily for the right reasons:

Expect more details on the plan to surface soon. The Times reports that Obama will deliver a speech in Cleveland tomorrow introducing a "broader package" of proposals tied to the reauthorization of the transportation bill.

Elsewhere on the Network, M-Bike.org outlines Detroit's plans for revitalization via a "Strategic Framework" of interconnected dense neighborhoods surrounded by greenspace; Extraordinary Observations explores what lessons we can learn about "free" parking from the characters of Seinfeld; and Baltimore Spokes goes into detail about the Black Hawk, Colorado bike ban.