What is National Infrastructure Week and why should you care?

What is National Infrastructure Week and why should you care?

As the 6th annual National Infrastructure Week comes to an end, we’d like to continue the conversation on why infrastructure is so important. More than something to simply mark on the calendar, Infrastructure Week is a non-profit organization “working to educate America’s public about the importance of infrastructure to the nation’s economy, workers, and communities.”

Since 2013, Infrastructure Week has been led by a bipartisan coalition comprised of business groups, labor unions, and think tanks focused on improving the nation’s infrastructure.

What happens during National Infrastructure Week?

The week is filled with a number of events happening across America. These are intended to educate the public and issue advocacy to elevate infrastructure as a critical issue impacting America’s economy, society, security and future. This year, the message being conveyed is “The future won’t wait. Neither can we. It’s #TimeToBuild.”

Individuals in a variety organizations, trade associations, chambers of commerce, local businesses and government offices take part in efforts to highlight infrastructure challenges and ways to overcome them.

Why Rebuild SoCal cares about National Infrastructure Week (and you should, too)

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 2017 Infrastructure Report Card gave the country a cumulative infrastructure grade of D+. Here in California, 25 percent of California bridges show significant deterioration or do not meet current design standards. Another 17 percent of bridges are functionally obsolete. Fifty percent of the 195,834 miles of public roads are in poor condition and 678 dams are considered to be high-hazard potential.

Here in the Golden State, we are getting things done and making progress thanks in part to recent legislation. SB 1 is a landmark transportation investment to rebuild California from roads in local communities to interstate freeways and more. Prop 69 will lock in those funds so they go toward transportation projects as intended.

We recognize the importance of education about infrastructure. The public must understand how vital infrastructure is for our safety, economy and future. There is still so much to be done – in California and across the U.S. – to raise our grade from D+. As we work to further inform and education Californians, we applaud National Infrastructure Week and all it aims to accomplish.