‘Nobody is ready:’ Many cities lack resources to chase $1 trln infrastructure windfall

Continued development with infrastructure dollars in Erie
Workers finish the day at the site of new mixed-use construction in downtown Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S., February 8, 2022. City leaders are hoping to get a piece of the $500 billion promised through President Biden’s infrastructure bill to continue their vision to revitalize their downtown and waterfront areas, moving the city forward from its industrial past. REUTERS/Stephanie Strasburg

By Andy Sullivan

Erie, Pennsylvania could use a facelift. The lakefront city of 100,000 has been adding jobs and businesses downtown, but it remains saddled with vestiges of its industrial past: abandoned factories, ugly concrete buildings, decaying houses.