President Donald Trump brought his plan for improving America's infrastructure to the Cleveland area when he visited Richfield on Thursday. The president announced plans for fixing roads and bridges at the Operating Engineers Training Center in Richfield.
Highlights from the president's visit
"You can't win unless you win the state of Ohio" @realDonaldTrump upon his arrival in Richfield pic.twitter.com/SF4hwlTk16
— John Kosich (@KosichJohn) March 29, 2018
President Trump told the crowd it's "important for Ohio" to have $6 billion to fight the opioid crisis and drug problem in the Buckeye State.
"I've proven you've got a friend in the White House." President to crowd in Richfield. @WEWS
— Mike Brookbank (@brookbanktv) March 29, 2018
President Trump said the infrastructure plan will create 400,000 jobs almost immediately, calling them "great paying jobs."
Air Force One Lands
President Trump landed at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport on Air Force One shortly after 1 p.m.
POTUS has arrived in Cleveland pic.twitter.com/NRxw2B3qWm
— Mark A. Durdak (@MarkDurdak) March 29, 2018
Richfield was tough to get around today
From Police Chief K.D. Morgan:
"To our residents, businesses and visitors of Richfield: As many of you are aware, President Trump will be speaking at the Operating Engineers Training Center on Thursday, March 29th to discuss the President’s infrastructure plan. There may be traffic delays throughout Richfield between 1:00 PM and 3:30 PM. There will be road closures in the area that are short in duration. Most of the delays will occur on the northern end of Richfield. We appreciate your patience during the President’s visit and we hope to inconvenience everyone as little as possible. Should you have questions about the event please contact the White House Press Office at 202-456-2580. Should you have questions regarding traffic delays contact the Richfield Police Department at 330-659-9500."
Line of traffic to #President #Trump speech in Richfield OH. #ohiodotcom #POTUS pic.twitter.com/xBDUPqkVZA
— Jim Mackinnon (@JimMackinnonABJ) March 29, 2018
Why the president was here
In February, President Trump asked Congress to consider using a $200 billion federal investment to leverage more than $1 trillion in state, local and private funding that would be used to pay for improvements to the country's infrastructure.
According to a report published by the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), a $1.5 trillion infrastructure investment program could add 290,000 to 414,000 additional infrastructure workers, on average, during a ten-year window.
The president wants to speed up the time it takes for infrastructure projects to circulate through federal environmental reviews. His plan shortens the environmental review process that typically takes up to five years down to two years while establishing a "one agency, one decisions" structure, according to the CEA.
Why this visit was unusual
The normally vocal president hasn't spoken in public since last Friday. Over the weekend the president's personal life was the subject of a 60 Minutes interview with an alleged paramour from 2006.
Air Force One just departed for #Cleveland. @WEWS pic.twitter.com/qGNZkhbzJC
— Mike Brookbank (@brookbanktv) March 29, 2018
