The AP story excerpt below suggests the state infrastructure repair costs will be $300-500 million, not including local repair costs, according to Vermont's Secretary of Transportation. Let's say the total is ~$600 million to include local damage. This is a large number to be sure and the recovery will not be rapid given the widespread damage and cannot begin to measure the disruption in the lives of Vermonters.
But let's put this in some perspective. The news lately is replete with the immensity of the U.S. national debt and continued deficits as far as the eye can see. The $14 trillion debt required interest payments in 2010 of $413,954,825,362.17 . If Vermont's infrastructure repair costs are ~$600 million, that represents a mere 0.14% of last year's interest on the nation's debt. BIG is certainly in the eye of the beholder!
"MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) -- Fixing the infrastructure carnage left by Tropical Storm Irene will cost between $300 million to $500 million, Vermont's transportation secretary told lawmakers Tuesday, giving the first public estimates of the cost of repairing dozens of bridges, roads and culverts wrecked in flooding."
'via Blog this'
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