Poll: Most voters say US infrastructure getting worse

Nearly half of Americans believe the nation’s infrastructure has deteriorated over the last five years, according to a new poll from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM).

{mosads}The survey of 2,000 registered voters found that 46 percent think the state of U.S. infrastructure has gotten worse and nearly 90 percent believe that roads, bridges and energy grids require extreme repairs.

The AEM is hoping that the poll, which was released Monday, will guide lawmakers and candidates as they craft their long-term visions for infrastructure.

“Americans across the political spectrum understand the dire state of U.S. infrastructure and believe that the federal government should do more to improve our infrastructure,” said Dennis Slater, president of the AEM. “Voters recognized that increased federal funding for assets such as roads, bridges, and inland waterways will have a positive impact on the economy, and they are looking to the federal government to repair and modernize.”

The country is projected to face a $1.4 trillion infrastructure investment gap in the next decade, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Almost half of voters think the federal government is primarily responsible for footing the bill, and 70 percent say that more federal funding for the issue would help stimulate the economy, according to the survey.

The sentiment was shared across the political spectrum: 68 percent of Republicans, 70 percent of independents and 76 percent of Democrats say that the federal government should be making a greater effort to improve the nation’s overall infrastructure.

A majority of registered voters also feel that state and local governments should be doing more to help fix the nation’s deteriorating roads, bridges and transit systems, according to the AEM survey.

On the campaign trail, both major party presidential candidates have called for massive funding boosts for infrastructure, arguing that greater investments in the area would create more jobs and help the economy.

Coming up with long-term funding solutions for the issue has evaded Washington, and neither Republican nominee Donald Trump or Democratic rival Hillary Clinton have laid out how they would pay for their plans.

“Both presidential nominees have voiced their strong support for infrastructure investment,” said Ron De Feo, chief executive officer of Kennametal and chairman of the AEM’s Infrastructure Vision 2050 initiative. “The specific ideas and proposals they offer over the next 90 days will be critically important, and voters should consider them carefully on Election Day.”