NACE International issued the following statement after the 60 Minutes November 23 segment, “Falling apart: America's neglected infrastructure,” on the dangerous state of America’s infrastructure, which represents yet another urgent call for the public and private sectors to address this growing risk to public safety. Although decision-makers recognize the problem and the need for solutions, appropriate funding for critical infrastructure repair has not been put in place. There are 70,000 structurally-deficient U.S. bridges; most are still in use well past their design life, and more than 15% are at risk of catastrophic, corrosion-related failure. The staggering cost of necessary repairs makes headlines, but what’s forgotten is that corrosion-control technology and effective management practices can extend the life of bridges and other infrastructure well beyond original design life. When employed during initial construction, corrosion control can produce low-maintenance bridges with service lives up to 100 years—50 years longer than the crumbling bridges Americans drive on today. There is a cost to implementing corrosion control, but it has demonstrated a return on investment that outweighs the expense. NACE is developing a study to show specific costs of corrosion control for old and new assets. Its members are working with policy makers in Congress and state and local governments on policies that eliminate the devastating effects of corrosion. It is up to experts and member-driven associations like NACE to provide decision-makers with solutions and options to guide them to informed decisions that strengthen public safety, reduce long-term costs, and stimulate America’s economy. The technological means to sustain the country’s infrastructure safely into the next century has been developed; now it is time to find the fiscal solutions to do the same. For more information, visit nace.org.
