Question

Please write at least two large paragraphs to describe your critical thoughts and reflections about watching the Movie the Race to Rebuild America’s Infrastructure. Specifically, how do you think about the issue of an aging and deteriorating American public infrastructure system? What are the possible consequences of an aging and deteriorating American public infrastructure system? How do we take actions to address this issue?

Answer 1

What is Public Infrastructure?

Public infrastructure refers to infrastructure facilities, systems, and structures that are owned and operated by the “public,” i.e., the government. It includes all infrastructural facilities that are open to the general public for use. Infrastructure includes all essential systems and facilities that facilitate the smooth flow of an economy’s day-to-day activities and enhance the people’s standard of living. It includes basic facilities such as roads, water supply, electricity, and telecommunications.

Examples of Public Infrastructure

1. Transportation infrastructure – Bridges, roads, airports, rail transport, etc.
2. Water infrastructure – Water supply, water resource management, flood management, proper sewage and drainage systems, coastal restoration infrastructure
3. Power and energy infrastructure – Power grid, power stations, wind turbines, gas pipelines, solar panels
4. Telecommunications infrastructure – Telephone network, broadband network, WiFi services
5. Political infrastructure – Governmental institutions such as courts of law, regulatory bodies, etc.; Public security services such as the police force, defense, etc.
6. Educational infrastructure – Public schools and universities, public training institutes
7. Health infrastructure – Public hospitals, subsidized health clinics, etc.
8. Recreational infrastructure – Public parks and gardens, beaches, historical sites, natural reserves

American public infrastructure system

America has always been known for being one of the most beautiful, wealthiest, and the most organized nations ever. It has always been a powerful nation, one that is full of some the biggest cities, biggest bridges, and a nation that is interconnected by winding roads and interstates that allow its people to reach anywhere. Today all of these things are crumbling under us and they are all past their expected life spans. A lot of these structures around us could come crumbling down bring our modern world around us to a standstill. I am currently finding interest in wanting to help restore these structures through civil engineering. As a background, if you do not understand what infrastructure is or what a civil engineer does, infrastructure are things like roads, interstates, railways, waterways, shipping ports and bridges and the civil engineer is the person who designs these things. I would love to apply my abilities to this area inside of my country. So America’s infrastructure is failing in all aspects, money needs to be brought to the table, new construction techniques are necessary, and people need to realize lives and the economic status of this great nation is at jeopardy.

            To start off, the funding for all these projects needs to be supplied in a short time and large sums of it needs to start surfacing to begin the process. The American government are the people in charge of finalizing these project and are also the people who are in charge of the money. Several decades ago the American government had the proper bills in place allowing people to build the great interstate system we have today, the railways the zigzag all across the nation, and the great bridges that allow for easy passage over waterways. That was back in the early 20th century and that was a hundred years ago. Through research I have learn most of the structures built back then were expected to be structural sound for fifty years or so and if that is true we are borrowed time by a long shot. So in order for even me to make an impact in this area money needs to come from some source of funding. The bills back then are not enough for today’s high cost construction and along with that the people of this nation are money tight and driving up taxes angers all. But recognition of a crumbling America needs to be brought to reality. Giving knowledge to the common people could ignite the spark in people by them seeing the economic world could fall and that could allow for them to want to step up and do something about it or at least they could pressure the government for a plan to begin fixing these issues. In the end the American government needs to stop ignoring this problem that I know they are aware of. Having an overall grade of a D for our infrastructure should be an embarrassment. Funding needs to come up for future civil engineers like myself so people like me can leave an impact in this great nation.

            Along with finding the money we need to be smart with our money by investing in new and better construction techniques that can last for a lot longer than the structures that are left standing today. The development for better, more durable, weather resistance construction is necessary for the rebuilding of all of the crumbling structures. This is necessary because if we continue to use the similar techniques used today the same problem will be around as soon as we finish the rebuild of the weak structures and America will never climb out of the failing infrastructure age. So I would like to focus my impact in this world in this area of civil engineering. The area of developing the world’s future bridges that can last for a centuries without any problems or building of a road that can withstand the worst of traffic for years and years with minimal wear. This is my passion and I always want to help people the best of my abilities and here I could build a better world for all. So the need for new ideas in the constructing world are necessary and new minds like mine could be the key. Before the rebuild can start, rethinking construction is one of the many first steps.

Funding and new building methods are necessary for the rebuild and these goals are possible, but what if the goals are not reached in time? What will happen? This is by far one of the scariest aspects of this whole situation that America could fall into. Economic collapse of areas could form by crumbling infrastructure. Certain areas along the United States could be cut off by failing roads, a bridge, or crumbling railway and that could turn into the inability of goods to leave or enter a certain area or somebody being able to reach a hospital. Therefore killing off a city or a small town or even the loss of human life could occur. Now this is very extreme view when it comes to the loss of lives, but it is possible issue that could occur. For example the city of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. I am not sure how well you know this city, but it is a city that is built along the intersection of three of the United States main rivers. A lot of water traffic occurs there bring out coal and steel but along with crowed waterway the city itself is one of America’s biggest. The only way into the city is across one of the several bridges into downtown. The bridges carry quit the traffic load each day and all of the bridges within the city are 20 years or more past their time they were thought to stand. They actually have secondary structures under the bridges to catch falling chucks of steel and concert. That is scary thing to think that one day all the traffic traveling across these bridge could be in the bottom of the river blocking water traffic, preventing people from entering the city, and even the loss of life due to a falling bridge. I want to become a civil engineer because one it is my passion but I always want to build a safer place for all. I do not want to live in a nation that is crumbling, I want to fix it. I hope the American government starts to finally take action in the nation’s infrastructure, but I feel a terrible event will have to occur before a plan is in place.

America needs to find funding, new building methods are necessary, and finally the nation needs to realize the economic status is at stake if action is not taken about the failing infrastructure. Although I cannot be the person to fund the projects that need to take place but I could be one of the people who helps rebuild this great nation. Through my abilities that have been gifted to me I hope to be one of the few people who gets to help rebuild the crumbling world around us. Civil engineering is a passion of mine by how I get to design but also by how I would to get to help all of those around me by building a safer and more advanced modern world. I the government gets their wake up call soon and hope soon recognition of this serious issue will happen.