When you vote, don’t forget about a very important topic facing us today – America’s infrastructure, the literal backbone of our society.  It is a major challenge many cities across the country are currently facing for three reasons:  its age, the U.S. population migration and population growth.  During tough economic times, resources have to be focused on the most pressing issue, which is the aging infrastructure urgently in need of replacement, as well as the increased capacity requirements fueled by our continuing growth.

The nation’s infrastructure is part of almost every aspect of our lives and we take it for granted.  From buildings and transportation systems that bring communities together, to the complex labyrinths of pipe that deliver clean water and protect from storm water run off, the country’s infrastructure is important every single day – not just when something goes wrong.  Whether we know it or not, natural disasters such as Hurricanes Ike and Katrina and the I-35 bridge collapse in Minneapolis, have stressed even further the importance of the sustainability of local infrastructures. 

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) estimates that $1.6 trillion is needed over five years to improve the country’s infrastructure standards up to barely adequate condition.  That does not include recent catastrophic events in the Midwest and Gulf Coast.  Bridges, levees, sewer and drinking water lines and storm water drainage systems are just some of the infrastructures needing improvement.

The oldest pipes installed in the 1800s have a life expectancy of up to 120 years.  Many are starting to require improvements – most of which are not budgeted and result in emergency repairs.  There is a $540 billion difference between what is being spent and the investment required over the next 20 years to improve the two million miles of pipe across the country, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

The ASCE’s infrastructure report card on necessary infrastructure improvements also includes the physical condition and congestion of our roadways.  As gas prices continue to increase, it is important to realize that a significant portion of the tax funds our highways.  The recently signed H.R. 6532, an $8 billion investment into the federal Highway Trust Fund, rescued the fund from bankruptcy and is expected to last just a year.  As of 2005, poor road conditions cost U.S. motorists $67 billion a year in repairs and operating costs – $333 per motorist.  Something else must be done.

ASCE has recommended Congress enact the National Infrastructure Improvement Act and the National Infrastructure Bank Act.  The Infrastructure Act would establish National Commission on Infrastructure of the United States to study the condition and capacity of our infrastructure and recommend improvements.  The Bank Act would establish an independent entity of the federal government to provide funding for qualified infrastructure projects. 

A strong community foundation and its infrastructure serve as the central operating system for our cities, businesses, homes, roadways and recreation areas. It keeps us safe and affords a way of life we’ve come to take for granted. How would we survive without it?

We will return to normal economic times.  This country and its leadership must continue to build on the expectations set by its forefathers, to be visionary. According to the EPA Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment, a total of $400 billion will need to be spent for U.S. water transmission over the next 20 years due to aged water systems, increasing demand for residential, commercial and industrial development and population growth. Do your candidates have their eye on our great country’s future and its needs?

The largely unseen part of our daily lives that allows us to have water when we turn on the tap, assures that we don’t have raw sewage in our homes, helps us get home safely at night and protects us from flooding, deserves significant consideration on November 6. 

Richard Manning is the president of Hanson Building Products North America, a leading manufacturer of concrete and steel pipe, concrete bridge and structural components, drainage products, roof tile, brick and pavers.