| Everywhere are signs of an aging state. Our streets and highways need repair and expansion. Our airports need more runways and bigger terminals. Our flood control systems need shoring up and our wastewater facilities need modernization. Over the course of the next 10 years, California faces a multibillion shortfall in its infrastructure investment. The California Transportation Commission estimates that the state faces a $116 billion shortfall in transportation alone over the next decade. The sad fact is that many of our bridges, roads and highways are structurally deficient or obsolete. Some of our cities have turn-of-the-century brick sewers that have far outlived their life expectancy. Many of our cities have water mains that are more than a century old. Check out our ReBuild File for the hard facts. Today, California's population, now at 34.3 million and climbing, is straining its infrastructure -- the public works at the core of our society. Those structures and systems constitute a framework that we all own together and which we all rely on day in and day out. We take them for granted -- until they fall apart or cease to function efficiently. Then we all pay a higher price. The health of our infrastructure directly affects our economic stability. In order for California to compete in today's global economy, businesses need to move goods quickly. Trucking operations must have free-flowing, well-maintained highways. Shipping companies need deep-water channels and suitable docking facilities. Airports need expansion to meet increases in both passengers and cargo. The stakes are enormous today. It is well-documented that spending on infrastructure spurs employment, stimulates investment, improves private economic performance, bolsters the economy in the short term and positions us for long-term growth. The stakes are enormous for tomorrow as well. We must hand over to future generations of Californians a sound public works foundation to build upon so their futures will be better and brighter. The present condition of that legacy is anything but bright. Click on the headings at the top of this page and look at the state of our roads, water systems, ports, airports, power needs and schools. Updated June 15, 2000 |
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