Obama's new infrastructure plan: By the numbers

During his Labor Day address, President Obama announced a $50 billion proposal to rebuild American roads and rails

With the midterm elections nearing and unemployment hovering just under 10 percent, President Obama has proposed a one-year $50 billion investment in America's transportation infrastructure to spur the economy and create jobs. The focus of the would be on building and repairing roads, train tracks, and air-traffic control systems, with at least some of the money doled out by a government-run "infrastructure bank." Here's a numerical look at the proposal:

150,000
Miles of roadway to be built or refurbished under the plan

150
Airport runways to be upgraded

4,000
Miles of railway to be built or repaired

8
Weeks until midterm elections

17 percent
Unemployment rate among construction workers

35,000
Jobs created by $1 billion in infrastucture spending, according to transportation experts

1.75 million
Total jobs that a $50 billion infrastructure investment could, in theory, create

3 million
Number of jobs created by the original stimulus (total cost: $814 billion), according to two prominent economists

$36.5 billion
Amount that Obama hopes to redirect for infrastructure spending by eliminating oil and gas company tax loopholes

$27 billion
Total transportation spending in 2009's stimulus package

$2.2 trillion
Investment needed to restore America's infrastructure to good condition, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers

Sources: Reuters, New York Times, Washington Post, MarketWatch, Brookings Institution, ASCE, USA Today