In Alaska it feels we are collectively holding our breath when it comes to deciding whether to invest in infrastructure. At a time when the state remains mired in a recession, now is not the time to delay building for the future or punting needed maintenance. Infrastructure is not something we have one day and not the following, it is a continuum from adequate to unsafe obsolescence. A problem arises when deferred maintenance remains deferred until a tipping point is reached. By one study, the future cost to replace is 15 times today’s repair price through deliberate asset management. We know we are slogging toward poor infrastructure when we’re waiting to see if the Alaska Marine Highway ferry is sailing when we need it most or when our surface transportation is stymied by poor, lacking or inefficient roads.
None of this is new. Our nation’s infrastructure has been in a slow-motion decline, right before our eyes, for decades now. We seem to sputter toward failure rather than invest in needed maintenance or plan for recapitalization projects. The Alaska Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers have been trying to ring the alarm bell, releasing a 2017 Alaskan Infrastructure Report Card giving an overall grade of C minus. The report card is to let the public know our infrastructure is at risk — and to warn us that every day we wait, repairs become more expensive and Americans pay the cost — in lost productivity, higher costs of living and goods, and time spent waiting in traffic instead of working or with our families.
Nationally, we have all heard the stories about bridges past their useful lifespan, highways that need to be rebuilt, inland waterways that are neglected, drinking water and wastewater systems that cause public safety issues. Locally, we know the nonexistent second Gastineau Channel crossing and failure to advance the Juneau Access road will impede economic growth in our community.
So why are we still waiting for action? How long are we going to hold our breath and hope that we avoid catastrophe? May 14-21, 2018, is the sixth annual Infrastructure Week, which is a national week of advocacy and education designed to raise awareness about why we need to invest in our infrastructure. To continue to ignore it puts our health and safety at risk, and our economy at risk, too.
Commuters waste 42 hours and $1,200 in fuel per person and idling in traffic. Locally, one could extract the costs associated with delays and waiting at aforementioned ferry terminals. A study from the Value of Water Campaign found that if a water-reliant business, such as a brewery or auto manufacturer, lost water service, the company could lose up to $5,800 per employee per day. ASCE also found that more than $1.3 trillion in property lies in the path of under-maintained aging levees, dams, and other critical infrastructure, putting whole communities at risk.
If we want modern, safe, reliable infrastructure, we need to act now. We need elected leaders at every level — municipal, state and federal — to prioritize infrastructure investment. Repairing and upgrading water systems, ports, airports, highways, the power grid and broadband is what Americans want. Gallup polling has shown consistently that this is one of the most popular, least politically controversial topics for the federal government to address. Locally, people want harbor facilities which are safe, secure and uncongested; modern water and waste water systems; and the ability to freely move in and out of the borough, be it through air, road or ferry.
We are all tired of waiting. Let’s use this Infrastructure Week to send a message: we have waited long enough and the future isn’t going to wait for us if we drag our feet any longer. It is time for our leadership to step up and build the infrastructure this country deserves.
• Carl J. Uchytil is the President of the Alaska Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the President of the Alaska Association of Harbormasters and Port Administrators. He resides in Juneau.
