InfrastructureUSA.org is a non-profit, online community whose mission is to bring together infrastructure experts, industry leaders, government officials and most especially interested citizens, to participate in vigorous conversation and generate action to address the U.S. infrastructure crisis.

Infrastructure is finally in the spotlight across the United States, getting some of the attention it deserves.

Monday’s kickoff of Infrastructure Week 2015 saw a variety of experts come together to remind us what’s at stake. Public safety, jobs, economic stability, and mobility were just a few of the issues discussed during the event, hosted in Washington D.C. by Bloomberg Government.

Vice President Biden weighed in, noting that the United States is ranked number 28 in the world for its infrastructure. Aren’t we shooting for #1?

If we want to rise in the rankings, we have to have a long-term funding plan that really works, was one of the themes of the VP’s address. And it couldn’t come at a more relevant time, with our current funding authorization set to expire on May 31st, leaving the future of any federal infrastructure support unclear.

Other experts like DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx, Siemens CEO Eric Spiegel, and Tamara Lundgren of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce touted the benefits of infrastructure investment and warned of the consequences of inaction.

Spiegel remarked that “As a company that works with cities building the infrastructure of tomorrow…we believe this is precisely the kind of focus we need to create jobs, growth and economic opportunity for American workers in the 21st century.”

Coming Wednesday: Infrastructure Advocacy Day

In order to bridge the communication gap and connect local and regional stakeholders with members of Congress and other policymakers, Infrastructure Advocacy Day is taking place Wednesday on Capitol Hill. Register here, and Infrastructure Week will do their best to schedule relevant meetings based on your own interests. This unique opportunity could put you face to face with those directly responsible for approving or denying infrastructure funding around the country.

For more Infrastructure Week 2015 events, click here for the full calendar–or keep an eye on the @RebuildRenew Twitter feed for a play-by-play of events.

How You Can Help

Most importantly, Infrastructure Week is about spreading awareness and garnering support from citizens and communities around the country.  Even if you can’t participate in the events, you can get the word out by sharing readymade content —infographics, posters and neatly packaged tweets are just a few of the “sharables” provided by the Infrastructure Week Steering Committee.

So there you have it: there’s NO EXCUSE for inaction. Start clicking now!

Tags: Bloomberg Government, Infrastructure Advocacy Day, Infrastructure Week 2015, Secretary Foxx, United States Department of Transportation, Vice President Biden, Washington DC

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 12th, 2015 at 11:56 am and is filed under Aging Infrastructure, Competitiveness, Funding, National, Policy, The Infra Blog . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.