Clearly, major federal support is needed beyond state and local efforts, if the nation’s eroding infrastructure is to be modernized.
The American Society of Civil Engineers’ latest alarming grade for the nation’s infrastructure is a D+, with an estimated $4.6 trillion needed for repairs. Federal data show infrastructure investment by federal and state governments dropped about 50 percent during the recession to a real-dollar level comparable to the 1950s, according to a Market Watch report.
“So even though the economy is about six times larger than it was in 1955,” the report noted, “We are investing no more in our critical infrastructure today than our grandparents did.”
The challenge begs for the bipartisanship currently shunned by Republican congressional leaders. Mr. Trump’s promise of “millions” of jobs in a repair plan “second to none” has fast faded into a campaign fantasy.
