In his first State of the Union address, President Trump expressed his plans to improve the country’s infrastructure deficit situation.
Thus, the American Society of Civil Engineers was pleased to know that finally, the POTUS has given good attention to providing better infrastructure to the American People.
The need to permanently fix the infrastructure issues in the US is clear. ASCE had presented about the real situation of the many infrastructure systems in the country. Their latest scorecard for the infrastructure D+ says it all.
However, with the latest update where the president seems to know the intensity of the infrastructure problem, it seems ASCE and other infrastructure management experts have high hopes that sooner or later, they will be able to finally see improvements in the country’s infrastructure.
It might sound like a great plan, but one challenge is for them to improve the federal investment in infrastructure, which may need certain actions by the Congress.
The proposal made by the president did not have a clear information as to where to get the revenue and how much is the exact funding to be allocated.
When it comes to infrastructure asset management, a sustainable and a long-term revenue source is imperative.
Thus, part of any infrastructure management plan is the financial aspect, the revenue source and possibly, a sound investment plan.
The US infrastructure dilemma should not be considered a minor problem. That’s a known fact.
It has implications for the public safety, productivity, and eventually, to the economy.
Many of the roads, bridges, and water and wastewater systems in the country are getting close to their life expectancy. With that, many of them will probably never last a few years more or even a decade.
Temporary repairs will never be enough to some of them. Replacement is the only solution. And that would mean, a good amount of funding is needed.
With the amount of job that needs to be done, it may be safe to say that fixing everything will never happen even after Trump’s political term.
A huge sum of money, time, and energy will be required to finish everything.
Trump’s proposal sounds really good to hear. It may not be done in an instant, but at least the intent is there.
That’s probably the reason why ASCE had some hopes since the top person in the government is talking about improving the infrastructure.
Besides, everything starts with a good intent. As long as there is a plan to do something, there will be a greater possibility for it to become a reality.
And that’s what ASCE and the American people should hold on to.
Improving US infrastructure should be given a priority. It’s not just about having the best bridges and roads for the eyes.
It’s more about improving the public service, supporting the lifestyle and spurring economic growth.
Technology had become so advanced over the last decades, and hopefully the infrastructure systems too.
Importantly, infrastructure building and asset management should be isolated from politics and should be viewed as utmost public service for the benefit of the whole people.