Invest in America Now

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.” [Federal Highway Administration [2]] Heavier vehicles, like school buses and delivery trucks, are forced to take lengthy detours for safer bridges. Nearly one in four miles of urban interstate is in only “poor” or “mediocre” condition. [Bureau of Transportation Statistics [3]]

America’s levees and waterways have become unreliable. Earlier this year, thousands of homes and millions of acres of crops were destroyed after heavy rains overwhelmed obsolete levees along the Mississippi River. 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. [American Society of Civil Engineers [4], Associated Press [5]] 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. [Army Corps of Engineers [6]]

America’s schools are falling apart. Although public school enrollment has grown in recent years, investment in school construction and modernization has decreased by about 30 percent since 2003 and 2004. In fact, school construction spending was lower in 2007 than in any year since 1999. [American School and University Construction Report [7]] 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. [National Center for Education Statistics [8]]

America’s neglected infrastructure puts us at risk for disaster. A steam pipe explosion in Manhattan last year launched a tow truck 12 feet in the air, killing one and injuring dozens. The blast opened a 40 foot diameter crater and spread toxic asbestos, closing off 40 square blocks for five days. [New York Times [9]] This is just a small illustration of the deadly danger of letting our infrastructure go unmaintained. America’s electric power grid, dams, water treatment plants, airports, and railways are all in dire need of repairs and improvements. [American Society of Civil Engineers [4]]