The Urgency of Infrasturctural Improvement and its Benefits The Urgency of Infrasturctural Improvement and its Benefits April 19, 2021 This illustration is commenting on the failing infrustracture of the United States by showing people hanging off freezing pipes with U.S. flag pattern The United States boasts one of the greatest highway systems and the safest commercial air network in the world. However, without improvement to vital systems, the prosperity of America is in danger. The American Society of Civil Engineers rated the condition of US infrastructure at a C-, slightly up from a D+ in 2019. Although infrastructure is not always seen as a pressing issue, last month’s crisis in Texas revealed the danger in leaving its shortfalls unaddressed. Millions of residents went without power or water for five days, and nearly 60 Texans died due to the electric grid’s failure. The snowstorm didn’t cause new problems to the state’s electrical grid; it just exposed existing ones. The failures in Texas forced the country to come face-to-face with its deteriorating infrastructure. Not only does infrastructure impact the lives of millions, but it can also be politically beneficial to run on a platform which calls to improve this vital network. Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan, ran on “fix the damn roads” in 2018 and won. Her campaign slogan proved effective enough to be elected Democratic governor of a state where every other government office is majority Republican. Infrastructure is not often a “hot topic” in politics; however, recent events have demonstrated its importance and suggests that it has a remarkable ability to unite constituents and contribute to political campaigns.