>If you invest $1M into a bridge, there's no additional tax revenue, a brief burst of construction jobs, it will need maintenance, improvements, etc long term.

>If you invest $1M into a bridge, there's no additional tax revenue, a brief burst of construction jobs, it will need maintenance, improvements, etc long term. You've created a net liability. Not entirely true. If the net effect of the bridge is to connect two communities together more effectively then there may be people who pay property tax that buy land near the bridge, and then grocery stores, restaurants, barber shops, service stations and the like that spring up to serve those people. A bridge, constructed in the correct location, can easily spur economic growth which can pay back both the initial cost for the bridge and provide enough tax revenue to pay for its upkeep.