国际英语新闻：Obama stresses infrastructure projects importance to U.S. economy

WASHINGTON, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday highlighted the importance of infrastructure projects to the U.S. economic growth and job creation efforts.

"We need a new plan for America's roads, rails and runways for the long-term. Over the next six years, we will rebuild 150,000 miles of our roads, enough to circle the world six times. We will lay and maintain 4,000 miles of our railways, enough to stretch coast-to-coast. And we will restore 150 miles of runways and advance a next generation air-traffic control system reducing delays," Obama said in the White House Rose Garden.

By making these investments across the country, we won't just make our economy run better over the long haul, and will create good, middle-class jobs right now, he added.

With the November elections approaching and U.S. unemployment rate still hovering at 9.6 percent in September, the Obama administration is under increasing pressure to jumpstart the sagging economy and spur job creation.