That improvements to passenger rail, public transit, bridges, rural roads and interstates are needed is not up for debate. In 2017, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) informed all of America that our infrastructure was graded at a D+. This included multiple systems, but largely surface transportation.
President Trump, early on, made infrastructure investment a portrait of the new face of America. The House of Representatives kept reinforcing its commitment to a long-standing federal partnership, and the Senate agreed improving transportation is a national responsibility.
This is a new video from the Americans for Transportation Mobility (ATM) Coalition that helps explain why modern infrastructure and increased investment can’t wait. At the end of September, the last surface-transportation reauthorization expires. New federal infrastructure legislation can be a path to addressing problems that will only get costlier and more cumbersome without a major bipartisan push.
Local and state governments are already doing their parts, but we are at a fork in the road. The Senate recently held hearings linking the country’s recovery and potential economic growth to infrastructure, and the House sent out a policy framework thick with green measures. The Trump Administration is posturing to give us its infrastructure vision too.
We appreciate that policymakers are thinking in bold ways, but America needs to finally get this done. There are more than 331 million people in the United States who need assurances of school buses and trucks on safe roads, and bridges that are not last-century structures. Communities need funds for transit systems taking a huge hit, federal investment for interstates, highways and corridors that are regional nightmares, and reachable plans for urban streets that are eyesores.
In the last year, the global ranking of America’s infrastructure dropped from ninth to 13th, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF). The WEF ranked America’s “transport infrastructure” 12th and gave it a score of 79.6.
America deserves better. You deserve better. Our transportation system is the one constant that powers the U.S. economy and commerce, and helps us all stay safe and mobile.
Every year, Americans and the labor and business sectors are wasting precious time and billions of dollars sitting in traffic. Join us in making sure this message gets to the elected leaders who represent you. Sign our petition at https://action.uschamber.com/yYv5aKO and share this story and video on social media and through email.
–Americans for Transportation Mobility on YouTube
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