The nation’s largest organizations representing American business, labor, and policy announced the fourth annual Infrastructure Week, to be held the week of May 16-23rd, 2016.Infrastructure Week is a non-partisan, coordinated week of events and programming across the country designed to elevate Americans’ understanding of the role infrastructure – from passenger and freight transportation to water, electricity and broadband networks – plays in their lives.
Infrastructure Week 2015, held from May 11-15, was a huge success with more than 50 events convened by nearly 100 Affiliates from Maine to Alaska, drawing dozens of major metropolitan Mayors from around the country to Washington, D.C. to urge Congress to act on infrastructure needs. Advocacy efforts delivered the Week’s message of Investing in America’s Economy to more than 300 Congressional offices, and Americans across the country sent more than 11,000 letters to Congress demanding action. Online, the conversation about Infrastructure Week established 41 million social media impressions; and, major news outlets and programs including the New York Times, Time, New York Daily News, NPR, Bloomberg, New Yorker, and 60 Minutes featured infrastructure stories that week.
In 2016, Infrastructure Week will continue to highlight the lack of investment in America’s surface and aviation transportation, water and wastewater systems, and energy and broadband networks. Chronic underfunding has left the United States less globally competitive and weakened by potholes, corroded water mains and broken sewers, outdated transit systems and travel delays. Infrastructure Week 2016 will also tell the stories of successes from around the country and innovative solutions put forth by the public sector. Over the last several years, facing a widening investment gap and a lack of reliable federal support, some local and state leaders are finding innovative ways to develop their own infrastructure solutions.
Infrastructure Week 2016 is led by a steering committee consisting of the AFL-CIO, the American Society of Civil Engineers, Building America’s Future, Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program, the National Association of Manufacturers, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Value of Water Coalition. In addition to these organizations, Infrastructure Week has drawn nearly 100 national and local affiliate organizations from diverse sectors of the economy and communities across the U.S. to create an unprecedented and united coalition. See a full summary of Infrastructure Week 2015 and a list of our affiliates here.
“Building America’s Future is pleased to once again serve on the steering committee for Infrastructure Week, where we look forward to shepherding a group of diverse organizations in advocating for a common goal: increased funding for our country’s roads, bridges, airports, railways, seaports and broadband infrastructure,” said Building America’s Future President Marcia Hale. “We have been thrilled with the success of Infrastructure Week over the past few years, and we look forward to building on our previous successes in 2016. Importantly, Americans will select a new president this coming year, and we aim to remind the American people – and the presidential candidates – that infrastructure and transportation investment should be at the top of the list of priorities for a new administration.”
Find out more about Infrastructure Week at www.infrastructureweek.org, and follow on Twitter at @RebuildRenew and #RebuildRenew.
