Give attention to failing infrastructure

President Obama declared December Critical Infrastructure Protection Month to call attention to an issue that has a real and direct impact on all of us. Unnoticed by many of us as we go about our daily lives, the infrastructure that is essential to the livelihood of our economy, safety and overall health and well-being is crumbling. Roads, bridges, water mains and many other critical pieces of America's infrastructure are outdated and insufficient.

Severe traffic congestion cost the Chicago-area economy $4 billion this past year. The costs to each of us are real in terms of lost time and productivity, wasted fuel, and wear and tear on our cars, not to mention the very real dangers to our health and safety. We don't need to look back too far to remember the flooding that occurred in July. Whether it's sitting in traffic every morning or having to pump floodwater out of your basement, no matter where you live in this state, failing infrastructure has an impact on your checkbook and quality of life.

In its 2009 Report Card for America's Infrastructure, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) graded the nation's infrastructure a “D” and outlined a five-year investment need of $2.2 trillion. This is not just a national problem, but one here in our state too. The Illinois section of ASCE released its 2010 report card, and our state received a D+ in its ability to fund our infrastructure needs.

We need a long-term plan for improving our infrastructure, one that includes sufficient funding levels and dedicated revenue sources. Investing in our nation's infrastructure now will have far less of an impact on our checkbooks than the cost the failing infrastructure is already having.

Bill Cussen

Schaumburg