CHICAGO—The upcoming change in administrations has caused some uncertainty among economic forecasters. Sharp changes to any of the trade agreements that govern relations with Mexico, China or Europe could upend current predictions for steady growth. However, stronger Republican support for infrastructure spending could also change expectations for the better by giving an extra boost to the nation's GDP. But infrastructure experts say getting that boost may depend on what gets built, and not just how much is spent.

“There is a lot of speculation about what Trump wants to do with international trade,” Walter Kemmsies, managing director, economist and chief strategist for the US ports, airports and global infrastructure group at Chicago-based JLL, tells GlobeSt.com. He considers it unlikely that major changes are on the way, mainly because “we have a number of industries that are critically dependent on imports.”

But he is keeping a close eye on everything said about transforming US infrastructure. All of this talk has at least opened up the possibility that the continuing damage to our economic potential, done through the neglect of our infrastructure and somewhat misplaced priorities, can be reversed.