Finding something on which U.S. voters can agree is a difficult task these days. Here’s an exception. The majority of registered voters participating in a recent national survey agree that the nation’s infrastructure – from roads and bridges to railways, dams and water pipelines – is in dire need of repair.
According to the results of a national poll released this week by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, voters across the political spectrum are united in their opinion that current and future infrastructure needs nationwide need to be addressed. And, nearly half of the survey respondents said that the federal government should play a larger role in subsidizing long-overdue infrastructure projects.
However, those surveyed did not necessarily look to just adding to the dollars available for infrastructure project. They would also like to see more innovation that could be the future of modernizing the nation’s infrastructure. The most important of those innovations, they said, should be in water infrastructure, solar-powered homes and smarter infrastructure.
Not surprisingly, the majority of registered voters in the poll – 92 percent – listed roads as the number one infrastructure classification in “some to extreme” need of repairs, followed by bridges, water pipelines, energy grids, railways and dams. Half of those surveyed said the federal government
should have the primary financial responsibility for repairing and modernizing today’s infrastructure. But they also put some responsibility on state and local governments. A total of more than 70 percent said state and local governments also should contribute more to infrastructure needs.
More than half of the registered voters surveyed actually indicated they could better support increased federal infrastructure spending after reviewing statistics that indicate that one in nine bridges in this country are rated structurally deficient and that many of the nation’s pipes that carry drinking water are more than 100 years old
An adequate national infrastructure is necessary for the nation to be competitive in a global economy. And new construction along with rehabilitation and maintenance of existing infrastructure creates government contracting opportunities. Those contracts, in turn, create jobs, putting more Americans to work and positively affecting the local and national economy. Survey respondents said they are aware of the positive impact that the increase in funding for these projects can have on the economy.
Estimates are that infrastructure funding is expected to be woefully short of what is needed over the next decade – trillions of dollars short. Voter support exists for increased infrastructure spending, and the condition of the country’s roads and bridges, water, energy and other infrastructure demands it. It’s time for government at all levels to make those investments.