Glenn 1

Madeleine Glen
Mr. Bradley
U.S Government
October 26, 2016
Infrastructure Improvement
If this country was to be a powerful body, then its veins would be its roads guiding
millions of American citizens everyday with no rest. Yet despite this American infrastructure is
in a critical state of disrepair with heavy traffic, poisoned water, and sewage preventing the
country from working at its best. This lack of maintenance not only slows progression but
deteriorates America from the inside. Even now this severe issue is overshadowed by threats of
terrorism, immigration, and other political issues. However this is no distant problem; failing
infrastructure is right in the backyards of everyone in the country. For that reason, America
needs to invest more into infrastructure spending to repair roads, fix gas pipelines, and maintain
water infrastructure.
Americas road are in need of investment to maintain and fix broken roads. According to
TRIP, the shoddy state of the nation's roads cost the average driver $515 in extra operation and
maintenance costs on their car (Ingraham). Because roads are often littered with potholes,
cracks, or other inflictions people have to pay the price. If more money was invested into roads
people can stay on the roads commuting to work or home, rather than waiting an hour at car
maintenance. In addition, because of bad infrastructure the average American commuter wastes
a total of 38 hours in traffic per year. This amounts to 5.5 billion hours lost in U.S. productivity
annually and 2.9 billion gallons of wasted fuel (Kanter). By improving infrastructure production

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can reach its full potential rather than having it stifle growth. Also, fuel, a precious resource,
wont be wasted in stop-and-go traffic or bumpy roads. For a closer look at one city, in a 2008
analysis of New York traffic, congestion the economy lost $13 billion because the streets of New
York was unable to support the massive amount of commuters (Lewis). As the population
increases roads will need to keep up with more generations of commuters but with no funding
towards road infrastructure, no reform can be made to solve such issues. People need to get to
their jobs, and the faster they get there the more they can work. However, roads are a visible
issue that many already consider; there are more unseen problems, buried underground.
Another issue in need investment is the pipelines transporting gallons of oil every year.
Most never stop to think about the oil pipelines under the neighborhood street since it is well out
of sight and never mentioned. Yet because of this out of sight out of mind mentality a gas
pipeline exploded in the small suburb of San Bruno, resulting in 8 killed, 58 injured, and 108
homes damaged or destroyed (Davidson et al.). This was a tragedy that could have been
prevented with proper maintenance and regular inspections. However, because there is no
investment in the replacement of old pipes or proper maintenance more incidents like San Bruno
can occur. In fact, according to research done by The Associated Press,since 2009, the annual
number of significant accidents on oil and petroleum pipelines has shot up by almost 60 percent
(Jackson). These accidents already reveal that more than half of the current gas pipelines are
insufficient for supporting the increasing amount of crude oil production. Also this rate of
accidents wont stay the same for decades as critics warn that the risk of accidents on those
lines will only increase (Groeger). If no investment is made the situation will eventually reach a
stage where gas line everywhere is a ticking time bomb waiting for the perfect time. More

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explosions and leaks will occur, causing injuries and wasting gas. However, another time bomb
lies in pipelines for water.
Similar to gas pipelines, water infrastructure, or specifically water pipelines, requires
funding to improve.. Imagine using the faucet for a refreshing glass of tap water to go with a
delicious meal. But looking closer into that water there are traces of lead, copper, and other
substances that shouldnt be consumed. As most know, lead poisoning is a serious issue, causing
a variety of symptoms and is linked to anemia, learning disabilities, and damage to the central
nervous system and immune system (Lead Fact Sheet). Such symptoms caused by lead
poisoning have significant effects on peoples lives, especially children. If left unoticed children
can be lead poisoned, having impact on their ability to learn for the future. If many advocate for
the removal of paint to protect children from lead, then corroding pipes should also be removed
and replaced for the same reason. Even though Congress banned lead water pipes 30 years ago,
between 3.3 million and 10 million older ones remain poisoning the countrys water (Wines).
Nearly everyone knows the danger of lead poisoning, yet it continues to occur with no real
solution. That ban may still exist, but is has no value until all lead water pipes are replaced with
safer lines. In addition old water pipes continue to leak valuable 2.1 trillion gallons of purified
water on estimate every year (Schaper). As most know drinkable water is only a small
percentage of the Earths water, yet despite this fact America is wasting water without knowing.
People often preach the importance of leaving the faucet off or careful use of sprinklers but in
the end such effort proves useless with pipes naturally leaking. Hence why Americas
infrastructure should be addressed to prevent water contamination and leaks.

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Critics however, claim that the issue of infrastructure isnt as severe as everyone makes it
out to be, saying that Americas drinking water pipes are still fine, spending will have little
effect, or that there are other priorities that take precedence over infrastructure. However, as safe
as lead pipes could be, they still pose a dangerous risk considering the effects of lead poisoning.
Even a small amount of contamination can be significant, since blood lead levels dont have to
reach spectacularly high levels in children to have a detrimental effect (Carroll). But for other
cases where the water is completely toxic, lead poisoning has the potential to cause major
damage and kill. It is a major issue in the long term and it is better to finish it soon rather than
waiting for more unfortunate towns like Flint. The other argument of improved roads makes a
good point, but it must be realized that roads across the country still need to be fixed. Regarding
spending, The 2013 $3.6 trillion is needed by 2020 to improve infrastructure (2013 Report
Card). Though the amount recommended is massive, the cost needed will only accumulate to
levels that make investment harder. Infrastructure does need annual maintenance, but
procrastinating will only make the situation worse. As of priorities, infrastructure issues may
seem minor compared to foreign issues or national debt, but is in fact a key part of what makes
the country function. Infrastructure allows trade, business, commute, opportunities for
communities, and structure during natural disasters (Why Infrastructure Matters). Before
deciding new plans America should consider if its economy and productivity is at its highest
potential, which is achieved when roads are in good shape, gas and water isnt being wasted, and
congestion isnt an issue. Without roads, people would have difficulty in getting from home, to
work, and to wherever else they need to go, hence why they should be cared for rather than left
to deteriorate.

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Therefore, America needs to invest in infrastructure to maintain roads, remove dangerous

lead water pipes, and fix gas lines. If the country continues to procrastinate, safe tap water will
have lead, gas pipelines will fail, and roads wont be able to support production. As temporary
infrastructure improvement may seem, repairing it would decrease the amount of work needed in
the future and support productivity in the long run. Consider it, as infrastructure is the veins of
the country.

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Works Cited
2013 Report Card for Americas Infrastructure. American Society of Civil Engineers,
2016, http://www.infrastructurereportcard.org. Accessed 18 October, 2016.
Carroll, Aaron E. What the Science Says About Long-Term Damage From Lead The
Upshot, The New York Times, 8 February 2016,
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/09/upshot/what-the-science-says-about-long-term-damage-fro
m-lead.html?_r=0. Accessed October 18, 2016.
Davidson, A. Rachel, et al. San Bruno California, September 9, 2010 Gas Pipeline
Explosion and Fire. Disaster Research Center, August 2011,
http://www.academia.edu/4435007/San_Bruno_California_September_9_2010_Gas_Pipeline_E
xplosion_and_Fire. Accused 18 October, 2016.
Groeger, Lena. Pipelines Explained: How Safe are Americas 2.5 Million Miles of
Pipelines? ProPublica, 15 November, 2012,
https://www.propublica.org/article/pipelines-explained-how-safe-are-americas-2.5-million-miles
-of-pipelines. Accessed 16 September 2016.
Ingraham, Christopher. Where Americas worst roads are and how much theyre
costing us The Washington Post, 25 June 2015,
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/06/25/why-driving-on-am
Jackson, Henry C. "Oil, Gas Pipeline Accidents Surging across U.S." Detroit News. The
Detroit News, 22 May 2015,
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/nation/2015/05/22/oil-gas-pipeline-accidents-surging-ac
ross-us/27827081/. Accessed 11 Oct. 2016.

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Kanter, Rosabeth Moss. Move: Putting America's Infrastructure Back in the Lead. 500
Fifth Avenue, New York: W.W.Norton &, 2015. Print.
Lead Fact Sheet. Department of Environmental Safety, Sustainablility, & Risk, 2016,
https://www.des.umd.edu/os/rest/lead.html. Accused October 18, 2016.
Lewis, David. Americas Traffic Congestion Problem: Toward a Framework for
Nationwide Reform. The Brookings Institution, July 2008,
https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/07_congestion_lewis.pdf. Accessed 6
September, 2016.
Puentes, Robert. Why Infrastructure Matters: Rotten Roads, Bum Economy.
Brookings, 20 January 2015,
https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/why-infrastructure-matters-rotten-roads-bum-economy/.
Accessed 18 October, 2016.
Schaper, David. "As Infrastructure Crumbles, Trillions Of Gallons Of Water Lost." NPR.
NPR, 29 Oct. 2014,
http://www.npr.org/2014/10/29/359875321/as-infrastructure-crumbles-trillions-of-gallons-of-wat
er-lost. Accessed 11 Oct. 2016.
Wines, Michael, Schwartz John. Unsafe Lead Levels in Tap Water Not Limited to Flint
New York Times, 8 February 2016,
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/09/us/regulatory-gaps-leave-unsafe-lead-levels-in-water-natio
nwide.html?_r=0. Accessed 16 September 2016.