Dear Mr. President,

Have you ever heard the nursery rhyme about the London Bridge? It goes like this, “London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down...” Well, this nursery rhyme hits close to home. Our nation's infrastructure has been crumbling down over the years. This is why it is imperative that our nation rebuilds and strengthens our infrastructures. In doing this, we are providing safer and more efficient means of travel for people of America.

Some of our nation's infrastructure is not in good shape. In fact, CBS News reported that 70,000 bridges in the United States are structurally deficient. I believe that one of the main reasons why we need to rebuild these infrastructures is to reassure our safety. Bridges, roads, airports, railroads, and other infrastructures around the country have had some major problems. For example, not too long ago in Hoboken New Jersey, a mother was killed in a train accident. New York Times says that a train plowed through the barrier at the end of the tracts, and as a woman was walking on the platform by the rails, she was hit by the uncontrollable, flying train. This is not the only incident where the main cause of a severe and deadly accident was faulty infrastructure.

As stated in historyandheadlines.com, a bridge running over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed during the city’s rush hour. Thirteen people were killed in this incident, and 145 people were injured. All around America, incidents like this occur and have been killing or injuring American citizens. If we rebuild and strengthen our existing infrastructure, fewer of these tragedies will happen.

Another reason why our nation needs to rebuild and strengthen our infrastructures is for the efficiency of getting people place to place in the safest and fastest amount of time. Some people have to travel everyday to get to work. The faster they travel, of course without speeding, and without traffic or other distractions, the more time they spend working. Faulty infrastructure can cause traffic and disruption, making travelers and commuters late to work, late to important events, or keep them from being with their family. I can really relate to this because I travel a lot for sporting events and when visiting family in other states. Whenever my family gets stuck in traffic, we get incredibly frustrated and annoyed. My point is, study shows on artba.org, after new infrastructure is built, there are fewer accidents and delays. One of the main causes of traffic, which is the longest interruption to transportation, is accidents. So with improved infrastructure there would be fewer accidents and more time traveling efficiently.

In airports, problems with the old runways disrupts schedules and delays flights. Recently, nydailynews reported an airport had a close encounter where an airplane almost crashed during landing because of complications with the runway. After the scary incident, flights were majorly delayed, and everything got chaotic at the airport. When one airport experiences delays, it affects other airports and causes problems nationally and even internationally.

Some people may say that construction is the reason for traffic and other delays. In some cases they are right, but construction is temporary and the result will actually benefit the traveler in the future. Yes, it is aggravating to sit through construction traffic, however if you think about it, travelers will appreciate these improvements in the long run.

People who need jobs benefit from the work opportunities that would be created in order to fix our country’s infrastructure. Experts from money.usnews predict that the construction industry employment will grow by 13.6%, or create almost 520,000 new job openings by the year or 2024. So, if our nation starts to rebuild our “crumbling” infrastructure, unemployed people will be more likely to find and keep jobs which would provide them a better life.

U.S. citizens may wonder how we are going to get the money to pay for this major construction. I believe that a gas tax would be essential to help fund these projects. I know, in my state of New Jersey, our gas tax has risen to be able to pay for the rebuilding of local infrastructure. It would be beneficial and help the budget if a gas tax could be passed in every state, not only New Jersey. It is also a very appropriate means of increasing funds because everyday gallons and gallons of gas are used for transportation on these infrastructures. However, the gas tax will not be enough to pay for the major construction needed to fix our nation’s crippled infrastructure. I believe that the U.S. government needs to find ways to fund this necessary project.

If we don’t fix our nation's infrastructures now, they’re only going to get worse in the future. More collapses, more accidents, more faults. If we take action now, we can prevent this from happening. My dad, uncle, and grandpa own a construction company, George Harms Construction (GHC), and they work on designing and constructing new roads and bridges, as well as improving old infrastructures. This subject is very important to me and my family. Not only is it my family’s livelihood, but my family cares about safety and building structures that get people to where they need to be as quickly and safely as possible. Americans rely on all means of travel to keep up their busy lifestyles. Until our future technology provides us with faster ways of traveling, we need to focus and spend more money on improving the infrastructure we have today.

Sincerely,

Paige Harms