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
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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
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