This week in infrastructure systems:
- New Jersey Transit is a commuter mass transit system with surging ridership, increased fares, and record numbers of passenger trips to NYC. Despite this, NJT is not enjoying a period of success. NJT is suffering reductions in state support, and the consequences of long-term maintenance neglect and overlooked infrastructure investment needs. The NYT has published an extended article on this issue in light of the recent accident at Hoboken Terminal.
- As the US Presidential Election of 2016 winds down to a close, the candidates are frantically fighting off sordid ghosts of time past. However one might feel about these accusations, one of the main party presidential candidates will become US President, and we must know where they stand on infrastructure development. Both campaigns have been tight-lipped on their plans for infrastructure spending, but ConstructionDIVE reports what we know about the candidates' current commitments. The few details the campaigns report: Clinton will establish an infrastructure bank and send a budget request to Congress of $275 Billion USD in the first 100 days of her administration. They report that Trump, on the other hand, indicates he will spend "at least double" what Clinton spends.