Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Donald Trump

If Trump Wants to “Fix It First,” a Big Spending Spree Isn’t the Way to Go

Until states stop spending so much on road expansion, not repair, “crumbling infrastructure” will remain a problem. Graphic: Smart Growth America

It's hard to pin Donald Trump down on policy issues. Witness Press Secretary Sean Spicer's quickly rescinded trial balloon for a 20 percent tariff on Mexican imports yesterday. But let's take one of Trump's recent infrastructure pronouncements literally and see where the implications lead.

At the GOP retreat in Philadelphia yesterday, Trump said he wants to fix existing infrastructure before building new infrastructure. Here are his remarks as relayed by Politico:

Our infrastructure is in serious trouble. We will build new roads and highways and tunnels and airports and railways across the nation. We will fix our existing product before we build anything brand new, however. We have to fix what we have. It’s a mess. So we’re going to fix it first. The thing I do best in life is build. We will fix it first ’cause we have a lot of things that are in bad shape.

This is actually a good way to approach the problem of decrepit infrastructure. It's also completely inconsistent with the infrastructure white paper Trump's team put out during the campaign, which would favor toll road construction and overlook decrepit infrastructure that can't generate user fees and profits.

State transportation agencies could get their infrastructure into good condition without much new funding -- they just have to stop spending the money they have on road expansions. In total, states spent more on road expansion than maintenance from 2009 to 2011, according to Smart Growth America and Taxpayers for Common Sense [PDF].

A real commitment to fixing transportation infrastructure would have to put a stop to expensive highway expansions, which only increase long-term maintenance obligations. A spending surge won't get the job done -- what's needed is a campaign to impose fiscal discipline on state DOTs.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Damn the Torpedoes, Friday’s Headlines Are Ahead

David Zipper has a long read in Slate about the history of freeway construction and how it compares to dams.

August 30, 2024

Friday Video: How (and Why) To Paint a Ghost Bike

Roadside memorials can make the human costs of our traffic violence crisis visible — at least until someone tears them down. That's why filmmaker made it his mission to restore two ghost bikes that had vanished from Boston roads.

August 30, 2024

Media Critique: Labor Day Traffic Coverage Ignores Trains

Recent coverage of the Labor Day weekend travel crush fails to mention rail services.

August 29, 2024

Killed by a Traffic Engineer: CalBike Interviews Wes Marshall

There is nothing that says you have to design for the peak or for 20 years from now. It’s a choice we’re making.

August 29, 2024

More Safe School Streets Coming To NYC This Fall

A record number of school "open streets" will operate across the city when the school year starts next week, officials said.

August 29, 2024
See all posts