The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has released its fifth and final report in its Failure to Act series, called “The Impact of Current Infrastructure Investment on America’s Economic Future.” The report warns that the U.S. needs to invest an additional $1.57 billion per year in infrastructure between now and 2020, or the nation will lose $3.1 trillion in gross national product, $1.1 trillion in trade, a $3,100 per year drop in personal disposable income, $2.4 trillion in lost consumer spending, and more than 3.1 million jobs.
The report also estimates that over the next seven years there will be an $84 billion investment gap in drinking water and wastewater infrastructure in the U.S. “The message is clear: if we do not invest now, all Americans end up paying more in the long run,” said ASCE President Gregory E. DiLoreto, P.E., P.L.S., D. WRE, F.ASCE, in an ASCE News article.
The ASCE website calls the “Impact of Current Infrastructure Investment on America’s Economic Future” report a preface to its 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, which will be released on March 19th. To access all five of the ASCE Failure to Act report documents, click here.