Obama's new infrastructure plan: By the numbers

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

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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