Pete Buttigieg Stresses a 'Fix It First' Infrastructure Policy

(Bloomberg CityLab) U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg is emphasizing a less-than-flashy item as a top priority for his national agenda: Fixing the country’s “maintenance backlog.”

“‘Fix it first,’ I think, is going to be a very important mantra for us,” he said in an interview at CityLab 2021, a virtual summit for urban leaders hosted by Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Aspen Institute. “It doesn't always have the same sizzle as adding something new, but the truth is we’ve got to be doing both.”

These comments add nuance to the secretary’s frequent emphasis on improving transportation systems through expanded high-speed rail, electric vehicle expansion and public transit, priorities he reiterated at the conference.

“Look, if there’s a need, we should meet it. And I’m a big believer when appropriate, especially when it comes to transit, but also of passenger rail, of adding resources that could make a difference,” he said, pointing to the lack of dedicated federal funding for railways as a reason that “Americans are being asked to settle for less” compared to other countries. ..........(more)

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-02/pete-buttigieg-embraces-a-fix-it-first-approach?srnd=premium