Infrastructure Need In The United States, 2010-2030: What Is The Level of Need? How Will It Be Paid For?

The U.S. infrastructure is failing, and there is inadequate funding to repair current facilities and construct new ones. This paper discusses current and future infrastructure needs in the United States, and presents possible sources of funding. Fifteen categories of infrastructure and their respective needs are considered, including aviation, bridges, rail, roads and transit. Total costs for all infrastructure needs is estimated at $375 billion over the next 20 years. Increasing user fees/charges and fuel taxes are proposed as ways to generate more funding for transportation-related infrastructure. The author suggests that the U.S. must massively invest in repairing, improving and expanding its close-in infrastructure, which will provide a catalyst for growth for the construction and transportation industries. Since current funding sources are inadequate, other federal, state and local expenditures must be cut back so that these funds can be spent on providing the infrastructure that will serve as a catalyst for economic growth.