Our transportation systems and infrastructure go hand-in-hand. That’s no secret. One can’t happen without the other. Unless we start to seriously prioritize both, American businesses and taxpayers will end up fronting the cost.
That’s why over 500 organizations, companies, and cities have pledged to build for tomorrow. They recognize that the infrastructure choices we make today will shape the future our children live in tomorrow. As such, it’s fitting that National Infrastructure Week and National Transportation week fall within the same seven days every year.
As I wrote in Morning Consult, the dilapidated state of our infrastructure is old news. The U.S. Department of Transportation reports 170,000 miles of our roads are in poor condition. What has changed, however, is the increasing cost needed to improve the system, which is now estimated to exceed $4.5 trillion.
Unfortunately, this problem only adds to the burden - more maintenance on our personal vehicles and those that deliver our goods, This issue also increases higher fuel costs from time spent on badly congested highways, and the additional carbon dioxide emitted into the air we breathe with more vehicles on the road for longer periods.
While Congress and the administration work to develop the plan to address our crumbling infrastructure, we are focused on actions we can take now to protect the vibrancy of two industries that allow businesses across the country to keep our economy moving: railroads and trucking.
In order to stay competitive in the global marketplace, we need to start investing in our infrastructure and make common sense adjustments to our transportation policy — including passing the DRIVE-Safe Act and ensuring a fully functioning STB. There’s no shortage of things we can do to address the crumbling state of our infrastructure and roads. This Infrastructure and Transportation Week, let’s commit to working across the aisle on real solutions for these critical problems.
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