During the campaign, President Donald Trump talked about how our infrastructure is crumbling and how he wants to “rebuild America.”
Here are some places where he should start:
1. Waukesha County, Wisconsin
The water in Waukesha County has repeatedly gotten violations because of its radioactive content. Erik Olson, of the Natural Resources Defense Council, told NBC News:
“It’s considered a [Group 1] known human carcinogen, you really don’t want to have elevated numbers of that in your drinking water. Whether people actually understand that and that information is fully penetrated into the public psyche is unclear.”
The fix would cost around $36 million. He’s already spent that much taxpayer money on his golf weekends.
2. Atlanta, Georgia
The interchange at I-285 and I-85 is known for the worst bottleneck traffic in America according to a study of truckers’ GPS data. The cost to fix it is unclear.
3. Concord, California
This city is known for the bumpiest streets in America. A study found that 75 percent of the roads there are in poor condition. The estimate for the fixes is not readily available yet.
4. Oroville Dam, California
This is one of the tallest dams in the country, which is in need of almost $1 billion in repairs. One day after a hard rain nearly 188,000 residents near the dam were forced to evacuate because of the danger of eroding rock into the dam’s spillway. The community is in danger of flooding if this happens again. The federal government green lit $274 million in repairs, but those funds run out this month.
The biggest concern if the dam is unrepaired is major flooding. If the dam were to collapse, there would be a 30-foot wall of water headed toward the community. The goal at the moment is to return the emergency spillway to its original capacity.
5. Western Hills Viaduct, Ohio
Pictures of this literally crumbling bridge circulated over the internet last year. City officials inspected it and deemed it safe, but drivers are concerned that it will get worse. Repairs would cost around $300 million, but they aren’t expected to begin until 2025.
There are many places like this all over the country in desperate need of repair.
Featured image via YouTube screenshot.
