Not since the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act passed 65 years ago has the country committed such a huge sum of money to upgrade the nation’s infrastructure—its roads, bridges, broadband and utilities. But after what seemed like endless stops and starts and constant wrangling—much of it interparty— President Biden signed into law the $1 trillion measure on November 15th. Colorado’s share of the measure will be approximately $6 billion.
While the majority of the money will go to the state’s most populous centers, southern Colorado’s hub city is looking forward to getting funds to address long overdue infrastructure projects, said Pueblo Mayor Nick Gradisar. “I think it’s fantastic,” said Gradisar. “It’s transformative change for a lot of people.”
Gradisar said the city has been working closely with the state’s two Democratic Senators, Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, as the measure was coming together. “We’ve made them aware of our priorities,” he said. Uncertain of when the funds will reach Pueblo, Gradisar said he’s made known where he’d like the first dollars to be spent.
“The Union Avenue Bridge,” he said, “is nearly a hun- dred years old and doesn’t meet the (structural) standards.” Engineers have indicated that rather than put the money toward refurbishing the structure, “it needs to be replaced.” The cost to replace the aging viaduct could be as high as $25 million.
The ‘to do’ list for Pueblo’s aging infrastructure, said Gradisar, is long. But if the city is to move smoothly into the 21st century, investment needs to be made. “One big thing is the freeway,” he said. Improvements to the routing of Interstate 25 have been called for for years. “We’re hoping this bill will have some funds that will make that happen.” State and city engineers have estimated the costs for reconfiguring the north-south arterial at around $200 million.
When Colorado’s money finally does arrive, more than $688 million will be dedicated to water infrastructure improvements and another $432 million for airports. Mayor Gradisar said he already knows exactly where he wants Pueblo’s share spent.
Pueblo, like scores of cities across the country, is already working on replacing those portions of its system that are outdated and unsafe. While Pueblo’s system is nothing like Flint, Michigan’s, where residents there have been forced to drink bottled water for a number of years because of a dangerous lead pipe delivery system, southern Colorado’s hub city has been proactive in addressing the issue and has made significant progress.
“The board of water works,” Gradisar said, “has been eliminating lead pipes for four or five years.” Gradisar was once a member of the city’s water board and has been a strong advocate for upgrading the city’s water delivery system. Coincidentally, Pueblo’s water was voted the among the five ‘best tasting water in the nation’ in a 2018 American Water Works Association poll.
Gradisar, who is Pueblo’s first Mayor since 1911, also wants money spent on the city’s airport. “We want to do some remodeling,” he said. Upgrading the facility would create a more comfortable passenger experience. “The waiting room,” he added, “doesn’t have restrooms.” People need to use the bathroom before getting on their flight, he said.
Air travelers in southeastern Colorado and the San Luis Valley often begin their trips in Pueblo and connect at the bigger airports in Denver and Colorado Springs. Airport improvements would make flying out of Pueblo more comfortable and, somewhere down the road, perhaps even coax other carriers to consider Pueblo as a market, he said.
The infrastructure bill will certainly pay dividends for people driving, flying or taking trains but it will also include money for things like child tax credits and universal preschool. “It will really make a difference in the lives of Pueblo families,” said Gradisar. The bill, said the President at the signing, also means jobs.
The measure that President Biden signed was radically different than the measure President Eisenhower signed in 1956 making possible the interstate highway system. So, too, was the environment. Back then 95 percent of the House of Representatives signed on to the measure. In the Senate there was only one vote against the new law.
This new law was heavily favored by House Democrats with all but six voting for its passage. Thirteen House Republicans also voted for passage. In the Senate, the vote was 69-30. Among Republicans voting in favor was Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Eighteen Republican colleagues joined him but, in the process, earned the scorn of ex-President Trump who spoke long and loud against it. Interestingly, Trump promised infrastructure for four years but never delivered.
The idea of an interstate highway system was the result of Eisenhower seeing a more efficient way of moving traffic and goods when he saw Germany’s Autobahn. In the event of a national emergency, he wanted to make sure that the military would have unimpeded lanes for critical supplies to get to their destination. One side could be shut down for civilian traffic and one side would be for the military.
The interstate highway system is now 65 years old. In 1956 Congress budgeted $25 billion for its construction. In today’s dollars, that would surpass $500 billion. It’s an investment that has paid off many times over.
