ZANESVILLE – What would a massive federal infrastructure investment mean for Southeast Ohioans?
If you ask US Sen. Sherrod Brown, it’d mean new jobs — good-paying ones at that.
Putting more than $1 trillion in federal money into infrastructure projects across the nation would fund critical, long-neglected infrastructure improvements and bring some economic opportunities in the process, according to the Cleveland Democrat, who pitched the American Jobs Plan bill to community members Thursday at Secrest Auditorium.
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But this bill isn’t just about roads, bridges and highways.
It redefines the term “infrastructure,” pitching day care, schools, education, health care and broadband internet as the next generation of public works in America. If passed in its current form, the bill says it would deliver broadband to every area that lacks it.
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It’s a long-awaited commodity for Brown’s 1 million constituents who lack broadband internet access at home.
“If you go back to the 1930s, most people wouldn’t have considered electrifying the countryside as public works (infrastructure) … So the definition changes,” Brown said. “But I think the more important definition and discussion is, what does the country need to bring back prosperity?”
Brown, who chairs the Senate’s banking committee, said roads and bridges are important but the economy also needs investment in those nontraditional public works. He cited parents who are unable to reenter the workforce post-pandemic due to lack of child care options.
Other economic benefits are putting that money back into community businesses, according to Zanesville Mayor Don Mason.
“Even when you’re buying the materials, they’re almost always sourced locally,” he said, citing the upcoming Interstate 70 project in Zanesville. “That’s going to be going toward local aggregate, equipment, cement workers, aggregate workers — it’s going to really help the economy.”
According to the ODOT plan, the $81 million project includes reconstruction of I-70 through city of Zanesville and resurfacing I-70 between US 40 and Ohio 93. A full reconstruction will start west of the Licking Road overpass. That’ll include the Maple Avenue ramps and the road at the end of the ramps, and the east end of the abandoned railroad overpass.
Eleven area bridges will also be rehabbed.
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