There are not very many events that bring together the AFL-CIO and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce but one area that most can agree on is the need for good roads, functioning dams and bridges that are not going to collapse. Infrastructure Week is back and municipalities and states across the country are hosting events focused on the importance of good infrastructure and all that it means for citizens and the economy.
Here in Georgia, a few groups are taking the lead on spreading awareness on the need for good infrastructure. The Metro Atlanta Chamber hosted a conference on Monday focused on broadband deployment and the legislation from this past session, as well as water and “intelligent” infrastructure. Georgia Cities and the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia also kicked off the week with a talk on “The State of Our Infrastucture in 2019.”
Metro Atlanta is perhaps particularly attuned to the needs of good infrastructure and transit options. Rep. Teri Anulewicz (D-42 Smyrna) noted the real costs of all that time spent in traffic. “Today I learned that the economic opportunity cost of time we spend in traffic and congestion is $120 billion, with a “B”, per year, one more reason to improve transit in metro ATL!” said Anulewicz.
“We are thrilled that the Metro Atlanta Chamber is joining Infrastructure Week. The state of America’s infrastructure is one of the most pressing issues facing us as a nation. The benefits of a stronger, better infrastructure system could be immense, but we urgently need political courage and leadership on this issue,” said Zach Schafer, Executive Director of Infrastructure Week. “During Infrastructure Week, we bring together the public and private sector to encourage lawmakers to think long-term, and invest in infrastructure at the federal, state and local level.”
The state is celebrating Infrastructure Week on the heels of a study that showed Georgia infrastructure as second best in the nation (that bridge incident was a freak accident). Georgia ranked fifth lowest in the country with roads in poor condition, seventh lowest in bridges in poor condition, and 15th lowest of dams at high hazard risk (11% of Georgia dams are at high hazard risk, alarming perhaps but at least Georgia is not Hawaii – where 93% of dams are at high hazard risk!).
GDOT Commissioner Russell McMurry was pleased with the results. “In terms of transportation infrastructure, we aim to be the best in the nation,” said McMurry. “Thanks to funding levels more consistent with our needs in recent years, Georgia has made significant investments to upgrade and maintain our transportation network. With ongoing maintenance needs and Georgia’s booming population, we must work hard to retain these impressive rankings. Given the resources, GDOT will continue to make strides in offering the smartest and most effective transportation solutions for our residents.”
McMurry points to funding resources but interestingly, state highway spending per driver is not necessarily correlative in infrastructure performance. Florida, the top in infrastructure spends $457 per driver – 22nd lowest, Georgia only spends $254 per driver – 3rd lowest, Vermont, however, coming in at 9th best in overall infrastructure, is the 6th highest spender per driver at $906.
You can learn much more about Infrastructure Week by searching the hashtag #BuildForTomorrow.
