Building something bigger

The two best things about the Senate’s bipartisan infrastructure bill are the “bipartisan” and the “infrastructure.” Now turn the bill into law. Great going by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for nursing this $550 billion package along for weeks and winning 17 Republicans, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. The perfect — a $2 trillion-plus plan President Biden unveiled in March — couldn’t get support, so they got to work building the good. Getting 67 votes, two-thirds of the Senate, on anything is most welcome, showing that cooperation across the aisle is possible, after all. Fingers crossed.

The opposition of Donald Trump was expected. The self-proclaimed master dealmaker said for four years he loved infrastructure, but never brokered an agreement because he only really cared about humiliating his political enemies. Complaints from House Democrats also shouldn’t sideline the legislation. This is concrete progress.

There’s $110 billion for bridges and tunnels and roads, which are pretty lousy in New York, $65 billion for broadband and $17 billion for ports. All badly needed.

Objections about transit spending are valid. There’s $39 billion set aside, down from the $49 billion projected when they started the haggling. And we’re pessimistic that whatever the number is, the regular old formula will give the MTA the same 15% of the pot it always gets. That’s about $6 billion. But the MTA doesn’t carry 15% of the passengers, it accounts for 40% of riders nationwide. Maybe having the majority leader from Brooklyn could fix this?

In the balance, billions for rail deserve a closer look. Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor is in for $30 billion, less than a third of its supposed unmet need of $100 billion. But the facts are that Amtrak carries only a tiny, tiny fraction, 5%, of the passengers on the 457-mile route from Boston to DC. The other 95% are on the state-run commuter lines, like LIRR, Metro-North and NJTransit, as well as service in Boston and Philly and Maryland. That $30 billion should follow the people.