I recently watched a History Channel special called “The Crumbling of America.” It detailed how we’ve slowly let our infrastructure go. As a result, things that are inconveniences now serve as warnings about future catastrophes.
As a Michigander, I think first of our roads. For one, we have more potholes than roads. Our constant freeze-thaw cycle, use of road salt plus the traditional reliance on patches has created these monsters. Also, overloaded semis wear ruts in the road and undo what road crews have done. During the winter, it’s not unusual to watch the “pothole patrol” on TV or to hear stories of busted axles. Sound familiar?
Then, there are the bridges. I’ve seen plenty with concrete crumbling from the supports and stripping the metal bars. In the wintertime, I see huge, hanging icicles. Come to find out, these icicles indicate poor drainage. This poor drainage results in water pooling, which during winter becomes the ice that pries the bridge. I wonder if one day I will be injured by falling debris or, God forbid, have it collapse on me?
One of the biggest problems that the experts identified is that these old bridges are not designed for current demands. I don’t know if designers back then envisioned huge semis going over them. In addition, many of our existing bridges were designed for 50-75 year lifetimes. Many of these have already reached this point or exceeded it. Can these bridges continue to handle present demands? The real question is for how much longer.
As to dams and levees, I was shocked to hear that, before Hurricane Katrina, there was no central listing of these structures. There are public structures as well as “orphans” built by private businesses and later abandoned. Even now, it will take years before this central listing will be completed. Without knowing how many exist, it’s hard to maintain them. Significant populations depend on these precarious structures that could wipe them out.
Then, there are also our water and sewage systems. Outdated pipes have small leaks and, sometimes, water main breaks. The multiple, small leaks add up—resulting in losing huge quantities of water. Also, in many areas, storm runoff and sewage go through the same pipes. Places like St. Louis pump this mixture into bodies of water like the Mississippi River. With such a situation, we are running the risk of contaminating drinking water. With all of these things, how can we possibly guarantee a ready supply of safe, available drinking water?
Why does this all matter? Let me paint you a picture. Imagine increasingly bigger loads not able to arrive because off impossible to maintain roads. Bridges become unreliable and become a crapshoot. Without them, trips aren’t measured in minutes but in hours. While the US Army Corp of Engineers is slowly replacing old dams and levees with proper ones, this won’t stop others from failing. Our unreliable water system is persistently threatened by contamination and cursed with inconsistent water flow—contributing to constant fires. Talk about a heck of a future.
Unless we take care of our infrastructure, we will be condemned to declining political status. If goods cannot be reliably transported, then it will be impossible to conduct commerce. A country with little commerce has little power. A country with poor access to necessities is surely subject to unrest. While people think of safe borders as the biggest determinant of national security, perhaps the bigger one is a strong infrastructure. Should we forget this, then it will guarantee our downfall.
Author: José A. RodrÃguez
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