Six-point plan proposed to rebuild U.S. infrastructure, revive country's competitiveness

WASHINGTON, DC, June 30, 2014 --A new report released on Friday, June 27, at the National Press Club outlines new and innovative ways that the federal government, the industry and other stakeholders can work together to solve the crisis of the failing state of U.S. infrastructure.

The report, titled "Making The Grade", is the result of experts from 45 different organizations, including corporations, professional organizations, think tanks, financial advisors, and academic institutions, and offers a six-point plan with fresh ideas to regain America's infrastructure leadership and revive the country's global competitiveness.

The report's name is intended as a rallying cry in response to last year's quadrennial report card by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), which gave America's overall infrastructure a D+ grade. The ASCE estimates that $3.6 trillion must be invested by 2020 to make critically-needed upgrades and expansions of national infrastructure -- and ultimately avoid trillions of dollars in lost business sales, exports, disposable income, and GDP.

While much has been written and discussed about the problem, "Making the Grade" provides substantive recommendations and workable solutions to help meet present and future infrastructure needs. Accordingly, the report's six-point recommendations include:

1. Making infrastructure a cabinet-level priority
2. Forming U.S. infrastructure regions
3. Establishing a national infrastructure bank
4. Selling "opportunity" bonds
5. Creating a national infrastructure index
6. Engaging the American people to build support for the importance of infrastructure policy
   

Collectively, these recommendations apply modern tools, technologies, approaches, and fresh thinking to offer a new vision and path forward for the way U.S. infrastructure should be planned, financed, designed, and built.

The 45 organizations involved are dedicated to driving the policy recommendations forward through continued public advocacy, wider industry dialogue and engagement with lawmakers over the coming months and years. For the full report, visit: http://autode.sk/MakingTheGrade.

See also:

"U.S. water, wastewater infrastructure graded by National Report Card"

"Envisioning the Future: Rating System Helps Infrastructure Projects Meet Long-Term Sustainability Goals"

AboutAmerican Society of Civil Engineers

Founded in 1852, theAmerican Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) represents more than 145,000 civil engineers and affiliate members worldwide and is America's oldest national engineering society. For more information, visit www.asce.org.

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