shovel-ready
Cleared for groundbreaking
Shovel-ready describes a construction or infrastructure project that has cleared all planning, permitting, and approval stages and can begin immediately once funding arrives.
The term gained wide currency during economic stimulus debates, when governments sought projects that could create jobs quickly: The state submitted a list of shovel-ready projects for federal funding.
Sometimes used skeptically, since few large projects are truly ready to break ground overnight.
Designated location
- permitsGrants formal authorization
- zoningSectioning areas by use
- approvedOfficially accepted or permitted
- entitledHaving rightful claim
cleared · graded · utilities · blueprints · engineering · groundbreaking · buildable · lot
What prompts a reaction
- constructionProcess of building something
- jobsPositions of employment
- highwayMajor road for travel
- bridgeStructure spanning an obstacle
funding · public works · economic recovery · federal grants · transportation · water treatment · sewer · broadband
Bureaucratic obstacles to action
- expeditedMade faster, prioritized
- streamlinedMade smooth and efficient
- fast-trackAccelerate a process
- compliantYielding to others' wishes
regulatory · paperwork · entitlements · approvals · timeline · delays · bottleneck · certification
Made ready beforehand
- actionableAble to be acted upon
- green-litGranted official approval
- queuedWaited in sequence
- primedMade ready beforehand
implementation · execution · deployment · mobilization · kickoff · initiative · pipeline · backburner
site
Designated location
- permitsGrants formal authorization
- zoningSectioning areas by use
- approvedOfficially accepted or permitted
entitled · cleared · graded · utilities · blueprints · engineering · groundbreaking · buildable · lot · parcel
stimulus
What prompts a reaction
- constructionProcess of building something
- jobsPositions of employment
- highwayMajor road for travel
bridge · funding · public works · economic recovery · federal grants · transportation · water treatment · sewer · broadband · municipal
red tape
Bureaucratic obstacles to action
- expeditedMade faster, prioritized
- streamlinedMade smooth and efficient
- fast-trackAccelerate a process
compliant · regulatory · paperwork · entitlements · approvals · timeline · delays · bottleneck · certification · inspection
prepared
Made ready beforehand
- actionableAble to be acted upon
- green-litGranted official approval
- queuedWaited in sequence
primed · implementation · execution · deployment · mobilization · kickoff · initiative · pipeline · backburner · prioritized
shovel-readystalled
Stopped unexpectedly
shelved · mothballed · dead in the water · in development · conceptual
shovel-readypie-in-the-sky
Unrealistic hope or promise
vaporware · theoretical · speculative · hypothetical · wishful thinking
shovel, ready, shovels, shoveled, shoveling, shoveler, shovelers, shovelfuls, readier