It is time to Invest in America’s Infrastructure and Economic Wellbeing
30 August 2008
Image by Getty Images via Daylife One year ago (August 1), Minneapolis’ I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River collapsed during rush hour, killing thirteen people. This tragedy is an illustration of a much larger problem—the deterioration of our nation’s infrastructure. Progressives should not be afraid to talk about spending priorities during this election. A new poll by Time magazine and the Rockefeller Foundation found that 83 percent of the public supports “increasing government spending on things like public-works projects to help create jobs.”
America’s bridges and roads need much repair. The U.S. Department of Transportation reports that nearly 25 percent of bridges in the U.S.—over 152,000 bridges—are “structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.” Nearly one in four miles of urban interstate is in only “poor” or “mediocre” condition.
America’s levees and waterways have become unreliable. In 2007, the American Society of Civil Engineers found more than 150 levees to be at high risk of failing due to poor maintenance; the Army Corps of Engineers cannot confirm or deny this because they have not even made a comprehensive levee inventory. Over a quarter of the dams overseen by the Corps of Engineers have exceeded the lifespan for which they were designed and need major repairs to ensure their safety.
America’s schools are falling apart. School construction spending was lower in 2007 than in any year since 1999. About 17 percent of public schools are considered in “unsatisfactory” physical condition, and in roughly one-third of all schools, deficiencies in the school facilities interfere with the ability to teach.
Progressive solutions:
We should repair American bridges, roads, and schools—creating jobs that can’t be sent offshore. Investing in American construction projects will also make our country safer and more efficient. A bipartisan coalition of Senators support the creation of a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank that will invest $60 billion over ten years, generating nearly two million new jobs. Sources for these facts, and additional resources are available online.
[Source: excerpt from Campaign for America's Future communication, July 31, 2008]
