We
don’t know yet why a Metro-North train derailed yesterday in the Bronx,
killing four people and injuring more than 60. The driver may have been
at fault. But it’s worth noting that last May, a Metro-North train
derailed in Connecticut after being struck by another train, injuring
73. And a study released last summer by the National Society of Civil
Engineers pointed out the sorry state of the nation’s rail system, where
deferred maintenance and congestion are costing the U.S. economy about
$200 billion a year, or 1.6% of economic output. The rest of the
nation’s transportation infrastructure is not much better: 1 in 9 of the
country's bridges are structurally deficient; our roads are crumbling;
and of the 84,000 dams in the U.S., 14,000 are considered "high hazard.”
While other nations are building transportation systems for the future,
Congress won’t modernize our outmoded one – even though borrowing costs
for the U.S. are near historic lows, the investment would spur growth
and productivity, and millions of jobless Americans could benefit
directly and indirectly from the work that would result.
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