But he suggested that infrastructure spending overall should be made strategically, in a “holistic” way, rather than focusing on individual sectors. For example, if huge investment is made in wastewater infrastructure without corresponding investments in the energy sector, the result will be uneven, he said.

Natale added that life-cycle costs and resilience also should be factors in the process of making funding decisions and setting priorities for projects.

ASCE’s report card is widely used by government officials and industry as a barometer for the relative health of the nation’s public works. After the release of the report, Terry O’Sullivan, general president of the Laborers International Union of North America, noted, “It’s time to stop duct-taping this problem. Chronic underinvestment created the current crisis and continued failure to adequately invest in our nation’s infrastructure needs only widens the gap and increases the final cost.”

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