Build Now

Take action for better infrastructure

Our infrastructure is in desperate need of modernization, and faces a high risk of failure over the next few years. From better highways to hospitals, airways to railways, green energy to internet connectivity, the need for better infrastructure is wide-ranging and immediate. This investment will impact all of us, and spur the creation of well-paying jobs along the industrial metals supply chain.

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Build Now

The Case for Infrastructure Investment

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The Need for Improved Infrastructure

C-Minus

Grade given U.S. Infrastructure by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) due to its “strong risk of failure.”

40-Percent

Estimated percentage of Canadian roads and bridges that are in fair, poor or very poor condition, according to the Canadian Infrastructure Report Card (CIRC).

RepairCost

$4.6 Trillion

The amount of investment America’s infrastructure needs to merely be in “a state of good repair,” according to the ASCE.

PowerLines

60%

Percentage of U.S. power distribution lines that have surpassed their 50-year life expectancy, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The Cost of Status Quo

Traffic

$179 Billion/Year

The cost of U.S. traffic congestion in time and fuel, according to the 2019 Urban Mobility Report.

AssetMaintenace

$98 Billion

Backlog of transit asset maintenance according to USDOT, a number that is expected to grow to $122 billion over the next 20 years.

FlightDelays

$35 Billion/Year

The cost to the economy from flight delays and cancellations due to the poor state of U.S. airports, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.

A Sign of Things to Come?

13 Deaths

In 2007 Minnesota’s third busiest bridge, which carried 140,000 vehicles a day, collapsed and killed 13 people, injuring 145. Experts estimate 465 U.S. bridges are at risk for a similar collapse.

BridgeDeaths

The Benefits of Investment

NewJobs

1.5 Million Jobs

A U.S. infrastructure investment increase of 1% of GDP would add 1.5 million jobs to the U.S. economy, according to the Business Roundtable.

EconomicOutput

$320 Billion

A U.S. infrastructure investment increase of 1% of GDP would also generate $320 billion of economic output (in the first year alone).

17x

17X

The U.S. solar power industry is creating jobs 17X faster than the U.S. average, according to an International Renewable Energy Agency report.

CO2

330,000 Tons

The Genesis Solar Energy Project, a Mojave Desert solar power station built in 2014, saves 330,000 tons of CO2 a year, equal to 68,000 passenger vehicles.

Asset 12@2x-100

Why The Time To Build is Now

The Importance of Building Support for Infrastructure Investment

By investing in our infrastructure, the metals industry will receive a much needed boost. But the biggest benefits will go to everyone in North America.

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The Metals Service Center Institute (MSCI) is working to increase awareness of the need for substantial infrastructure investment by North American governments, and the role the metals industry can play in this important endeavor.

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Crumbling or inadequate infrastructure impacts all families, all businesses and all communities in North America. Whether it is through time lost because of overcrowded roadways or mass transit, or the distraction of being in a decaying school, as a society we bear incredible costs due to lack of infrastructure investment.

Americans and Canadians lose time, money, and tragically, even lives as roads crumble, railways break and bridges collapse.

Public officials and private investors must help our communities build toward a better tomorrow. All across North America, we must Build Now.

Why is this important?

We must Build Now because:

  • 40% of Canadian roads and bridges are in fair, poor or very poor condition
  • 60% of U.S. power distribution lines have surpassed their 50-year life expectancy
  • Nearly one-third of U.S. bridges are more than 50 years old
  • Traffic congestion costs Americans $179 billion in extra time and fuel every year
  • Flight delays cost the U.S. economy more than $35 billion annually
  • In Canada, 30% of water infrastructure, including watermains and sewers, are in fair, poor or very poor condition. In the course of a single year, 250,000 main breaks will cost North Americans more than $1 billion.
  • 465 bridges in the United States are at risk of collapse—and bridge collapses already have killed too many individuals
  • The United States spends only 2.4% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on infrastructure annually while the European Union spends 5% and China spends 8%

If we Build Now, it will:

  • Result in millions of new jobs in sectors across the supply chain
  • Increase the U.S. and Canadian economies by hundreds of billions of dollars each year
  • Help our nations recover from the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Strengthen the North American industrial metals sector
  • Improve our health and even save lives

For every $1 the federal government spends on infrastructure, GDP expands $3

This is why I’ve joined the Metals Service Center Institute’s Build Now campaign, which highlights the need for infrastructure investment in North America. Families, businesses and decision-makers need to be aware of how the continent’s infrastructure problems impact our everyday life and our economy.

And it’s time U.S. and Canadian policymakers invest in infrastructure by proposing, sponsoring or supporting legislation that will improve our infrastructure now. They must Build Now.