For many of us, the New Year is a time to make resolutions addressing issues we may have ignored throughout the rest of the year. But because we wait to address these issues until they’ve become problematic (think: weight, bad habits, etc.), fewer than eight percent of us actually achieve our New Year’s goals.
It’s an easy trap to fall into – and some say it’s why infrastructure is such a major concern in the United States. Roads, dams, airports and other structures don’t maintain themselves, and we’ve ignored them for too long.
TV host John Oliver recently called attention to the country’s “un-sexy” infrastructure crisis. The 20-minute clip is worth watching when you get a chance. You might not agree with all of his jokes, but he makes some very salient points. For one, Oliver maintains that uneventful, uninteresting infrastructure is a good thing: “If anything exciting happens, we’re doing it wrong.”
I couldn’t agree more. As someone who works in logistics, a perfect day is one where we’ve planned for every possible service interruption and none of them happen.
For many of us, the New Year is a time to make resolutions addressing issues we may have ignored throughout the rest of the year. But because we wait to address these issues until they’ve become problematic (think: weight, bad habits, etc.), fewer than eight percent of us actually achieve our New Year’s goals.
It’s an easy trap to fall into – and some say it’s why infrastructure is such a major concern in the United States. Roads, dams, airports and other structures don’t maintain themselves, and we’ve ignored them for too long.
TV host John Oliver recently called attention to the country’s “un-sexy” infrastructure crisis. The 20-minute clip is worth watching when you get a chance. You might not agree with all of his jokes, but he makes some very salient points. For one, Oliver maintains that uneventful, uninteresting infrastructure is a good thing: “If anything exciting happens, we’re doing it wrong.”
I couldn’t agree more. As someone who works in logistics, a perfect day is one where we’ve planned for every possible service interruption and none of them happen.
Roads don’t become unsafe overnight. Over time, they break down under use, due to rough weather, years of heavy driving, and thousands of tons every day. Like a bad habit, or a few pounds, they creep up on us slowly. It seems easy to sign off on paying for a road that needs fixing, but if the road is still usable, how can one allocate that time and attention when there are more serious infrastructure crises happening every day?
It can’t be an easy job. And more and more Americans are calling for a change to our infrastructure policies. Safe roads don’t sound like a hot-button political issue, but when they cover everything from the routes our kids’ bus drivers take to school, to our grocery stores getting restocked on time, infrastructure problems can have a huge impact on our daily lives.
While there may be “sexier” issues we think about when we talk about the future, infrastructure is one that pays off dividends – and can be crippling if ignored for too long. According to Business Insider, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) gave the United States a “D” grade with regard to our road conditions, and a “C” grade for our bridges in its latest report.
According to WhiteHouse.gov, the current administration has targeted a trillion dollars for infrastructure spending in 2018. Addressing more than just road repairs, this budgetary proposal includes air traffic control, waterways, and new road construction for congestion mitigation in urban areas.
Here’s hoping that this big-government resolution stays on course.
Fuel for Thought,
~Bob
