A former Democrat candidate for president and the current secretary of transportation posted a video touting a bridge in Tucson as a successful example of the Biden administration’s infrastructure spending package.
“The 22nd Street Bridge project in Tucson, Arizona is an example of what infrastructure investment looks like in practice – helping people connect to the places and things they need to reach affordably, efficiently, and safely,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said, attaching a video message on Twitter.
The 22nd Street Bridge project in Tucson, Arizona is an example of what infrastructure investment looks like in practice — helping people connect to the places and things they need to reach affordably, efficiently, and safely. pic.twitter.com/KpwjwAaRM9
— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) September 6, 2022
“We’re here in Tucson announcing a round of awards from a federal grant program called RAISE,” Buttigieg says in the video. “It’s $2.2 billion provided by President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law to make improvements in communities around the country.”
Buttigieg said that the $2.2 billion will be spent repairing the 22nd Street Bridge, which was initially erected in the 1960s.
He says that the infrastructure legislation is currently supporting 166 such projects nationwide.
“[The bridge] very much needs repair,” Buttigieg said. “It is in such rough shape that it has load limits. That means emergency vehicles, school buses, trucks and other vehicles can’t pass over that bridge. Sometimes that adds as much as 30 minutes to people’s commutes.”
The bridge is also about social justice, Buttigieg noted.
According to the transportation secretary, the bridge connects “opportunities in downtown Tucson” to what he describes as “historically underserved communities” on the eastern side of the city.
Buttigieg, just less than one month ago, campaigned in Tucson and Phoenix with Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and other Democrat politicians, while touting Biden’s infrastructure plan.
“Today I welcomed [Buttigieg] and [Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ)] to announce a $25M transformative investment in #Tucson‘s infrastructure. The re-envisioned 22nd Street Bridge will reconnect our communities and create safer ways for residents to drive, walk, bike, and move about,” Tucson Mayor Regina Romero said at the time.
Today I welcomed @SecretaryPete and @SenMarkKelly to announce a $25M transformative investment in #Tucson's infrastructure. The re-envisioned 22nd Street Bridge will reconnect our communities and create safer ways for residents to drive, walk, bike, and move about. pic.twitter.com/EGOkWkp0om
— Regina Romero (@TucsonRomero) August 11, 2022
“This project represents an opportunity to invest in neighborhoods where infrastructure has created safety risks and separation,” she added, thanking the Biden administration.
Buttigieg is the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and is notoriously unqualified to work in the transportation sector.
Even the far-left magazine Slate recognized that the progressive Democrat did not deserve to be appointed to the position.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “22nd Street Bridge and Pete Buttigieg” by Regina Romero.
