150 non-partisan organizations recognize Infrastructure Week May 16th to 23rd. Business, labor and civic organizations are uniting under the week's 2016 theme: “Infrastructure Matters.”
The groups aim to "tell the story of what infrastructure means to Americans. It matters, in big ways and in small, to our country, our economy, our quality of life, our safety, and our communities. Roads, bridges, rails, ports, airports, pipes, the power grid, broadband… infrastructure matters to the goods we ship and the companies that make and sell them; it matters to our daily commutes and our summer vacations, to drinking water from our faucets, to the lights in our homes, and ultimately to every aspect of our daily lives."
The week's highlights can be read HERE.
The Association of American Railroads is a one of the organizations taking part in advocacy this week.
"While perhaps out of sight and out of mind to many Americans, U.S. freight railroads play an integral role in supporting the health of the nation's infrastructure," said Edward R. Hamberger, President and CEO at the AAR. "Unlike other modes of transportation, railroads own and operate their own infrastructure so taxpayers do not have to. And by doing so, railroads help ease congestion and wear and tear on those systems that taxpayers do help fund. The benefits of privately owned railroads are impressive and worth sharing as we reflect on the need to improve our roads and bridges."