Nearly two years have elapsed since the Minnesota Infrastructure Report Card was released to the public. Several broad conclusions can be drawn from the report card and our own experience.
Our infrastructure is aging and upgrades are needed.
The cost of needed upgrades is greater than the available funding.
Funding infrastructure is good for all of us and provides tremendous economic benefit statewide.
We need to make infrastructure a higher priority in society.
Telling the infrastructure story to the public and our legislature is key to securing the needed funding.
Overall, our state infrastructure received a grade of C. We’re doing better than the national average of D+, but there is a lot of room for improvement. Minnesota’s infrastructure continues to age and deteriorate, hampering economic growth and in some cases endangering lives. Without investment, our C grade will slide lower. Many in our industry have used the information in the Report Card as a catalyst to advocate for infrastructure investment. But where do we go from here? How can we, as practitioners in the industry, continue to leverage the information in the Report Card to continue building momentum for infrastructure improvements in our state?
As practitioners, one of our greatest responsibilities is to adapt to the ever-changing needs of those we serve. The worldwide pandemic we are currently operating within has only amplified that responsibility and we must continue to meet the challenge. As we deal with COVID-19 as a state and a nation, we must continue to focus on infrastructure investment to maintain the momentum we have built to date. It is likely our state will feel the effects of COVID-19 long after the pandemic has run its course, so why not be proactive and discuss the need for infrastructure investment now? For example, the transportation-related taxes the State collects to help fund our roads and bridges have been affected by the reduction in travel, as has some of the sales tax revenue. Now, more than ever, the time is right to keep infrastructure funding in the conversation.
What can we do as individuals? Quite a lot actually. Advocating for infrastructure spending at the State Legislature, or for that matter any form of public presentation, may not be right for you nor feasible in the current climate, but there is still a lot you can do. Here are some suggestions that may be better aligned with your professional passions and personal style.
Talk to Friends and Neighbors
Sharing information with the people in your life can be powerful. Individual voices and votes matter, and the more people know, the better equipped they are to make informed decisions. By sharing your passion for infrastructure, you just might spur action from someone in your circle. You will at least give them a better understanding of why investing in Minnesota’s infrastructure is important to each of us. You might be surprised how little the average person thinks about the infrastructure that enriches their lives – until it breaks down. People who don’t work in the industry may not understand all the considerations, regulations, and hard work that go into constructing or rehabilitating the infrastructure they likely take for granted. Many of us have probably heard a friend talk about their frustration with the state of the transportation system: “Why can’t they just fix these potholes?” “How hard is it to just get that bridge built?” There is a great opportunity for you to share what you know.
Prepare Your “Elevator Speech”
Sharing information on a subject you’re passionate about isn’t hard. What can be difficult is distilling your passion and knowledge into short, easily understandable points. Remember that your friends and neighbors, coworkers, other industry professionals, and elected or appointed officials most likely don’t have the same detailed understanding of your particular area of expertise. You will need to simplify and make what you say memorable. One of the best ways to do that is by telling a story. Think about how a specific infrastructure project helped transform a community, how an improvement streamlined your commute to work, how a stormwater feature alleviated seasonal flooding in your neighborhood park. Whatever your stories are, if you can personalize them, they will be memorable and will probably get the other person thinking about infrastructure in a different way.
Share Information on Social Media
Promoting the activities of industry organizations, sharing articles that underscore the importance of infrastructure funding, and writing your own opinions—then sharing them on social media sites like LinkedIn and Facebook—can help spread awareness and broaden the reach of the individuals and organizations advocating for our infrastructure.
Get Involved in Industry Organizations
You will magnify your voice by joining with other professionals at ASCE Minnesota and other industry organizations focused on our infrastructure. ASCE has partnered with several organizations including APWA, ACEC, and others to maximize the impact of conclusions documented in the Minnesota Infrastructure Report Card. Links to several useful sites are provided at the end of this article. Several organizations have tools and activities already developed or in the works to help members connect with students, professionals, and the general public.
Public discourse is noisy these days, with many important issues vying for attention while we all simultaneously are doing our best to adjust to working from home and not seeing our friends and colleagues in person. It is at times like these that we as practitioners must recognize the role we play in our communities, in maintaining essential services in the now and shaping policy for the future. We all can and should do our part to help keep infrastructure “top of mind” and keep advocating in big and small ways for investing in the infrastructure that keeps our state working. Let’s keep Minnesota moving in the right direction!
Useful Links
https://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/state-item/minnesota/
https://www.raiseourgrademn.org/
https://www.apwa-mn.org/about/Minnesota2050
This article was provided by Kimley-Horn, one of ASCE-MN’s sponsors. To see other benefits of becoming a sponsor, visit https://ascemn.org/sponsors or email treasurer@ascemn.org.