Many are calling for an immediate, massive investment in infrastructure to stimulate the economy. Because new construction projects might take too long to get underway to be an effective stimulus, what we need are opportuntities for immediate investment.
My son and I, good citizens that we are, scouted the railroad tracks near our house the other day for a suitable economic-stimulus opportunity. I think we found a good one.
Sorry I don't have a better establishing shot, but this is a bridge (or culvert) over which Union Pacific runs a couple dozen mile-long trains a day. It is a very nice infrastructure investment opportunity indeed.
It might be lost amid the graffiti, but I've drawn a red arrow on the right pointing to one of the deeper fissures in the concrete pillar. (Click to enlarge.) I'm not an engineer, but I think there may be some buckling, too. This could keep a couple of contractors fully employed for several months.
Top side offers more opportunity:
Since this concrete beam helps hold the railroad bed together -- and thus helps keep 100-car trains from derailing -- I imagine that arresting its slide down the grade would be a genuinely valuable economic investment. It might not amount to much of a stimulus, though, because, as we see, all it takes to secure a two-ton concrete beam is a couple of stakes driven into the ground:
I assume this is Union Pacific's property and so we don't need to throw any tax dollars at it. But I'm sure we can trust UP to do what's right for the economy.
