Emergency, Emergency, This Is America’s Infrastructure Calling: Brendan Bechtel
Now's the time to replace crumbling bridges and roads with stronger, smarter alternatives.
Originally published on USA TODAY
Today, America’s agencies and companies tasked with sustaining our aging infrastructure are in emergency triage mode. We are trying to do the best for as many patients as we can with the limited support and resources available, but we can’t help feeling like our chances of long-term success are slipping through our fingers. How many of us have sat in traffic due to the growing reliance on “emergency road repairs” just to keep our roads open? The backlog of emergency infrastructure repairs is beginning to overwhelm our nation’s ability to efficiently make the life-extending repairs needed.
In both emergency medicine and infrastructure, older patients require extra care. TheInterstate Highway System was born more than 50 years ago. New York's George Washington Bridge opened to traffic in 1931. Most of America’s rail system was built more than a century ago. Although these venerable assets have performed admirably for many years, they’re not just old, they’re outdated. From the technology used to design them to the techniques and materials used to build them, many of our critical public structures and facilities are inefficient, expensive to maintain and lacking in long-term resiliency.
