Input Stories

As manufacturers build and expand U.S. facilities and data centers spring up around the country, investing in modernizing America’s infrastructure has never been more urgent, according to CRH Americas Division President Nathan Creech—especially as dedicated federal transportation funds are set to expire in September.

By the numbers: “Industrial facilities—dozens of which are being stood up each month—generate up to 163 times more daily traffic than residential neighborhoods. Heavy commercial vehicles, the backbone of modern supply chains, cause up to 1,400 times more pavement damage than passenger cars. Modern fulfillment centers generate five times more traffic than traditional warehouses,” Creech wrote in the Washington Reporter this month.

• “Every factory America builds, and every supply chain we onshore, places even greater demands on roads and bridges that are already stretched to their limits,” he warned.

The price of disrepair: “The repair costs our nation faces are equally unforgiving. Nearly half of America’s major roads are in poor or mediocre condition, with a funding gap approaching $1 trillion over the next decade,” wrote Creech.

• “This poor infrastructure costs the average motorist $725 annually in vehicle damage and lost time—a hidden tax on working Americans, paid year after year in visits to the mechanic, high-volume traffic and endless frustration.”
• By contrast, “Every dollar spent on roads and bridge modernization generates $1.50 to $3.50 in economic activity.”

The policy prescription: The next infrastructure bill should be more focused than previous efforts, Creech advised policymakers, prioritizing the maintenance and modernization of existing roads and bridges. He also stressed the importance of streamlining the permitting process, enabling more infrastructure projects to get going faster.

The last word: “We cannot build a 21st-century economy on 20th-century roads. Without decisive action, our efforts to reindustrialize America will overwhelm the roads, highways and bridges across the country that were designed for a previous era,” Creech concluded.

• “As we approach the 250th anniversary of the United States, what better way to invest in the future of our great nation than to rebuild the roads and bridges that form the backbone of America.”

The NAM says: “Better infrastructure fuels greater manufacturing output, and greater manufacturing output drives the need for continued infrastructure investment, growing our economy. Simply put, an investment in our infrastructure is an investment in manufacturing,” said NAM Vice President of Domestic Policy Chris Phalen.