Have you ever wondered how much congestion costs you or what underinvestment in infrastructure really means? As if the nation’s economy isn’t struggling enough, a new study about to be released by ASCE finds the cost of deficient transportation infrastructure to American households and businesses is staggering.
Wednesday, July 27th ASCE will release, “Failure to Act: The Economic Impact of Current Investment Trends in Surface Transportation Infrastructure.” The report builds off of ASCE’s Report Card for America’s Infrastructure and addresses the question, “what if investment does not change?”
A key finding of this study is that the increasing deficiency of our nation’s roads, bridges, railways and transit will accelerate the decline in American families’ standard of living. The report delves into this issue deeper by examining
— the cost to families and businesses of failing transportation infrastructure
— the impact of surface transportation deficiencies on U.S. economic competitiveness
— the levels of new investment needed to avoid serious economic consequences
The findings of this report is come at a time when Congress ponders deep cuts in transportation infrastructure funding to help reduce the national debt — the opposite of what the nation needs to regain its economic footing and continue to be competitive in world markets. This is the first of four economic studies commissioned by ASCE. Subsequent reports will address water and wastewater, energy transmission, and airports and marine ports.
This report will be available on July 27, 2011, and posted on ASCE’s website.