How Trump's $1 Trillion Infrastructure Pledge Added Up
The “builder president” launched several “Infrastructure Weeks.” But when federal dollars never arrived, states and cities rallied to make progress where they could.
President Donald Trump during a tour of a steel mill in 2018. Trump promised to invest heavily in infrastructure, but the federal government proved to be a reluctant partner with states and cities during his administration.
Photographer: SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images
Three times over the last 20 years, voters in Austin have been asked about building out a light rail system. The Texas capital has been the fastest growing metro area in the U.S. for most of the last decade, a distinction that’s come with some of the worst traffic congestion. Still, in 2000 and 2014, Austinites turned down referenda aimed at boosting public transportation.
That changed on Nov. 3, when 58% of voters approved Project Connect, a $7.1 billion plan to add 27 new miles of rail service, an expanded all-electric bus system, and affordable housing along new routes.