Insights

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.