Things Trump Might Build

The Times asked Dan McNichol, former Transportation official in the second Bush administration, what Trump might build with the trillion dollars he says he wants to spend on infrastructure. McNichol came up with this list:

■ Hudson River rail tunnel. Cost: $23.9 billion.

■ California high-speed rail. Cost: $65 billion.

■ The Gordie Howe International Bridge, between Detroit and Canada. Cost: $2.1 billion.

■ Project Clean Lake, a massive clean-up of Cleveland's sewers to restore Lake Erie. Cost: $3 billion.

■ Northeast Corridor maglev, New York to Washington. Cost: $100 billion.

■ Miami sea wall. Cost: $20 billion.

■ Denver I-70 east: Denver is trying to put a section of Interstate 70 underground to reconnect the city’s urban fabric and use four acres of the reclaimed space for parks, bike paths and walks, and farmers’ markets. Cost: $1.17 billion.

■ Maryland Purple Line, a suburban light rail link. Cost: $5.6 billion.

■ South Carolina dams: After a single heavy rain in 2015 breached more than 50 dams and caused widespread flooding, the Army Corps of Engineers assessed over 600 dams in South Carolina as either “high” or “significant” hazards. A single large project could modernize the state’s system of dams and water control. Cost: $685 million.

■ Texas bullet train, between Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston, possible future expansion to San Antonio and Austin. Cost: $10 billion.

I think the costs for California and Northeast Corridor rail are way too low; maybe he meant the Federal contribution. I would also note that South Carolina's dams far not unique, and the whole country contains thousands of old dams in danger of failing. But otherwise it's an interesting list.