Rebuilding America’s Infrastructure

America First Policies believes that to ensure our safety and quality of life, and to strengthen our economy, we need to invest in world-class infrastructure. Our current infrastructure is inefficient and a national rebuilding of crumbling roads and bridges, highways, waterways, railways, and airports is long overdue. Unfortunately, burdensome regulatory barriers and lengthy environmental review and permitting processes have stalled much-needed infrastructure projects and left us less safe. The federal government must improve and speed up approval processes and unleash private sector capital and expertise as it invests in innovative infrastructure projects that protect and create millions of American jobs and help us compete internationally.

The Facts:

• According to the American Society of Civil Engineers' 2017 Infrastructure Report Card, the cumulative neglect of our infrastructure has resulted in a D+ grade. Our nation needs more than $2 trillion in infrastructure investment beyond what we are already spending to make up for years of neglect.
• 20 percent of America's major roads are in poor condition while demand for use of roads is up. Americans have set a new record for vehicle miles traveled, driving over 3.2 trillion miles in 2016, an increase of 70 billion miles from 2015.
• There are nearly 60,000 deficient bridges in the United States.
• It takes 7 years on average for a complex highway project to go through the entire environmental review process.
• In 2012, 14.2 million workers—11 percent of the U.S. workforce—were employed in infrastructure jobs, from locomotive engineers to meter readers.

Background:

Robert Puentes, “Why Infrastructure Matters: Rotten Roads, Bum Economy,” Brookings Institution, January 20, 2015, https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/why-infrastructure-matters-rotten-roads-bum-economy/

Eric Pianin, “As Roads Crumble, Infrastructure Spending Hits a 30-Year Low,” The Fiscal Times, February 25, 2016, http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/2016/02/25/Roads-Crumble-Infrastructure-Spending-Hits-30-Year-Low

Michael Sargent, “Fixing Our Infrastructure Without Breaking the Bank,” Heritage Foundation, May 16, 2017, http://www.heritage.org/budget-and-spending/commentary/fixing-our-infrastructure-without-breaking-the-bank

Jeffrey M. Stupak, “Economic Impact of Infrastructure Investment,” Congressional Research Service, July 18, 2017, https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R44896.pdf

Anthony P. Carnevale and Nicole Smith, “Trillion Dollar Infrastructure Proposals Could Create Millions of Jobs: Will the New Jobs Lead to Sustainable Careers?” Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, 2017, https://cew.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/trillion-dollar-infrastructure.pdf

Presidential Executive Order on Establishing Discipline and Accountability in the Environmental Review and Permitting Process for Infrastructure, August 15, 2017, https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/08/15/presidential-executive-order-establishing-discipline-and-accountability

Interview with Bill Sandbrook, CEO of U.S. Concrete and policy advisor to America First Policies (Fox Business Network, “Mornings with Maria,” August 16, 2017):

 

Read More:

John Schneidawind and Steve Cimino, “Rebuilding America's infrastructure starts with thinking locally,” American Institute of Architects, December 6, 2016, https://www.aia.org/articles/24506-rebuilding-americas-infrastructure-starts-wi:61

David Schaper, “10 Years After Bridge Collapse, America Is Still Crumbling,” NPR, August 1, 2017, http://www.npr.org/2017/08/01/540669701/10-years-after-bridge-collapse-america-is-still-crumbling

Mark Niquette and Christopher Flavelle, “Trump to Speed Up Public-Works Permits, Drop Climate Order,” Bloomberg News, August 15, 2017, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-15/trump-said-to-be-signing-order-to-speed-up-public-works-permits

Cass R. Sunstein, “Trump Did Something Good This Week,” Bloomberg News, August 17, 2017, https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-08-17/trump-did-something-good-this-week