Bernie Sanders, Cincinnati Enquirer - The Interstate 75 bridge collapse in Cincinnati is only the latest example. Every day, motorists across the United States drive over bridges that are in disrepair and on roads with unforgiving potholes. They take railroad and subway trains that arrive late and are overcrowded. They see airports bursting at the seams. They worry that a local levee could fail in a storm.
For many years we have underfunded the maintenance of our nation's physical infrastructure. That has to change. It is time to rebuild America. I will soon be introducing legislation for a $1 trillion investment, over five years, to modernize our country's physical infrastructure. This bill will not just rebuild our country but it will create and maintain 13 million good-paying jobs that our economy desperately needs.
For most of our history, the United States proudly led the world in building innovative infrastructure, from a network of canals, to the transcontinental railroad, to the interstate highway system. We launched an ambitious rural electrification program, massive flood control projects and more.
These innovations grew our economy, gave our businesses a competitive advantage, provided our workers a decent standard of living and were the envy of the world. Sadly, that is no longer the case. The World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report for 2015 ranks the U.S.'s overall infrastructure at 12th in the world.
How bad is the situation? Almost one-third of our roads are in poor or mediocre condition, and more than 40 percent of urban highways are congested. One of nine bridges is structurally deficient, and nearly a quarter are functionally obsolete. Transit systems face major unfunded repairs, while 45 percent of American households lack access to any transit at all.
1 comment:
The bridge was out of service -- it was being demolished.
Why doesn't Sanders know that? Or does he?
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