Obama Jobs Bill Might Not Help Touted Bridge

Investor's Business Daily ^ | 9/21/2011 | John Merline

[Slyscribe]

The 48-year-old Brent Spence Bridge spanning the Ohio River near Cincinnati isn't much to look at. But for President Obama, it's become a rallying cry for his $477 billion jobs plan.

He referred to it in his Sept. 8 speech to Congress, saying "there's a bridge that needs repair between Ohio and Kentucky that's on one of the busiest trucking routes in North America." And on Thursday he plans to use Brent Spence as the backdrop for another pitch for his jobs bill, which includes $27 billion in "immediate" highway spending.

But while local officials are delighted with Obama's attention, Brent Spence might not be eligible for that jobs bill money.

[Slyscribe]

A jobs bridge to nowhere...

[hometoroost]

Chicago-style featherbedding on a national scale. Can’t wait.

[mountainlion]

This is government SOP. Fuel taxes do not go to highways. FAA take off and landing fees do not to to the air system. Social Security deductions do not go to retired. Government does not represent the people.

[Eagle of Liberty]

BTTT your post!

[sunmars]

so basically its a project that was always planned and planned for years from now.

What a crock he’s trying to sell.

[Eagle of Liberty]

THIS NEEDS TO BE POSTED EVERYWHERE as an example of throwing money at a bad idea:

The big holdup on the bridge so far hasn't been money but bureaucratic inertia. Ohio, Kentucky and the federal government started working on the project 10 years ago — and have used about $2 million in federal funds — yet the new bridge is still more than 10 years away from completion.

The reason, transportation experts say, is the labyrinth of rules and red tape to navigate to get a major road project under way, a chaotic financing system, and a federal approval process that, as one expert put it, "can be astronomically nightmarish."

"Streamlining this process would go a great way to help extend the resources we have," said Brian Cunningham, spokesman for the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments.

So perhaps instead of focusing on a JOBS bill, we should focus on STREAMLINING ALL OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT!!

[Pietro]

I was led to beleive that the billion$ we pay in gasoline taxes every year was for maintenance of the highway infrastructure.

Where's that money going?

[Buckeye Battle Cry]

Glad I took the day off. My office overlooks the BSB. This particular bridge is in John Boehnor’s backyard (his district abuts this one on the North side) and is in Mitch McConnell’s state on the South side.

This particular bridge has been selected because it is a figurative middle finger to Boehnor and McConnell from Barack.

[windsorknot]

I just heard a traffic advisory warning of possible long traffic delays around Cincy because of today’s 0bama Bridge Stunt.

[NavyCanDo]

Last night Rachel Maddow was going on and on about how vital this bridge is to moving domestic product, and how building a replacement was important for not only keeping domestic product moving, but it would crate jobs.
OK, but then why did Obama thought funding Solyndra and other green product upstart companies was a higher priority? He could have sent that 535 million to this bridge building project. But he didn't.