Exploring a Dream U.S. Infrastructure Investment

Strong infrastructure investment could greatly benefit the U.S. Here are numerous examples over 10 key areas.

The 60 year-old interstate highway system desperately needs more investment, as Americans lose a lot of money and time to traffic like this one outside Washington D.C.

The original construction of the interstate system is often ranked as one of Dwight Eisenhower's great achievements as president.

Tolled roads are one solution to road finance, but they don't always succeed and many drivers hate them.

Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport is undertaking a multi-billion dollar upgrade to its domestic terminal.

Seattle-Tacoma airport, a major airport in the midst of major expansion plans.

San Jose International Airport hopes to continue increasing its competitiveness with high-level infrastructure.

Arlington Memorial Bridge is one of numerous American bridges badly in need of repair.

Arlington, Va.'s Long Bridge Park is a public space redeveloped from a contaminated industrial site.

The Bayonne Bridge between New York and New Jersey needs to be raised to allow large ships to pass under it.

The 2007 collapse of the I-35W Mississippi River bridge in Minneapolis killed 13 people and injured many more.

The Oakland Bay Bridge received a partial replacement in a large construction project over the early part of this millennium.

A notice on a Washington DC street lets residents know the city will be replacing some antiquated water infrastructure.

Flint, Mich's outdated drinking water infrastructure led to dangerous lead levels and a national outrage.

AMTRAK's Acela train provides quasi-high-speed rail service to the Northeast, but most of the nation lacks any semblance of high-speed rail service.

A map of proposed service routes for the controversial California High Speed Rail project.

Many rail proponents hope to eventually see US trains like this bullet train in Japan.

Larger ships passing through the Panama Canal will need upgraded port facilities to handle them.

The Port of New Orleans, a key gateway to Mississippi River navigation.

An abandoned school in New Mexico.

Jody Richards school in Kentucky is a new facility that offers students advantages that many decades-old schools can't deliver.

Richardsville Elementary in Kentucky is a success story in replacing aging school infrastructure, using a unique electricity-generating structure to create revenue.

The Environmental Protection Agency has oversight over most toxic sites, and in some cases can force a violator to finance the cleanup.

The Stringfellow Acid pits in California, a notorious polluted site.

Toxic waste like this can pollute huge tracts of land and render them undevelopable.

Flooding due to a levee failure during Hurricane Isaac.

Flooding after levee failure from Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

Power infrastructure can be vulnerable to intense weather.

Solar power is a clean energy option that could be on the table for different types of development.

Energy-producing windmills in California. The effective delivery of clean energy could be an essential part of the energy infrastructure future.