>>55021THIS. Also make community service (in the form of construction labor) a more common punishment for minor crimes and felonies. Why pay to keep people in jail when they could be building your roads and railways?
I would move away from the airports here. Massive enhancements on ports to handle high traffic of passenger ferries and ocean liners. Also, build airship facilities as close to cities as possible, ideally integrated into a rail network.
Build nuclear power plants, but only in places where the combination of wind, solar, geothermal, and hydroelectric power can't provide enough electricity. Even then, they should be built far enough away from cities to prevent massive loss of life if the plant fails.
Rebuild, over about 50 years, the entire American railroad system. This would only require reasonable annual funding, and would take a long time, but would be incredibly worth it. Most lines should be electrified and double-tracked.
Begin development of a high-speed rail network for the US. Don't use maglev for this: the time benefits are minor, and the trains wouldn't be able to run on ordinary track (doubling the amount of work).
Begin reconstruction of streetcar networks in major cities (and even large towns). Expand or create subway systems across the country.
Once all of these have been finished, begin tearing down some highways in cities. Not all highways, mind, and only ones which disrupt city life or the urban fabric. Submerging the highways would probably work too.
>>55079Also, THIS. Government control is very handy because it can work into debt without collapsing. Once the systems are completed, they can be sold off to the private sector, ala JNR.