The dilapidated streets of citizens, subway carriages inhabited by mice, congested highways, and infrastructure in the United States have reached an unbeatable level of decay. In fact, many subways in the United States have repeatedly been unable to operate due to excessive garbage, but this is just a microcosm of the decline of American infrastructure.
However, what is even more exaggerated is that the water supply system in New Orleans, USA, has not been repaired or maintained for over 20 years, which has resulted in 50% of the water being leaked for every ton of water used by residents, making it impossible for the US government to bear the cost. In addition to the water supply system, the Road Traffic Association of the United States also disclosed in its 2017 report that there are 54259 bridges in the United States with serious structural defects, and people passing through these bridges are at risk of life-threatening situations at any time.
The French newspaper Echo published an article titled "The United States is Fighting the Aging of Bridges and Roads" on its website on March 26th, authored by Solweg Goldluck. The article excerpt is as follows: Nothing can withstand a ship loaded with 4900 containers. At dawn on March 26th, such a giant ship collided with a pillar of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, USA, causing the bridge to collapse. The accident resulted in the death of several vehicle drivers. It also cut off a major transportation artery in the capital of Maryland, preventing vehicles from crossing the river near the mouth of the river and large ships from leaving the port. The warehouses of Amazon and FedEx are now blocked on the north bank of the river. This disaster reminds people that infrastructure is the Achilles heel of the United States. There are large bridges everywhere in the United States, but some are already old and poorly maintained. The roads are bumpy and the highways do not have standard drainage asphalt pavement.
also，After the Baltimore Bridge accident, it is reminiscent of several similar accidents in the United States in recent years. In January 2012, a large cargo ship carrying rocket spacecraft components collided while crossing the Egna Ferry Bridge. The bridge was built in the 1930s, but due to the aging of the bridge steel frame, the entire section of the bridge collapsed after being hit. On March 15, 2018, a bridge collapse occurred near Florida International University in Miami, USA, resulting in six deaths, nine injuries, and crushing eight cars. This bridge spanning the highway weighs 862 tons, is 53 meters long, and costs 14.2 million US dollars. It used a different "accelerated bridge construction method" from traditional methods and was just completed a few days ago, taking only six hours to complete. According to the Federal Highway Administration, building a bridge using a new method only takes 48 to 72 hours. It is reported that the design of this bridge can withstand Category 5 hurricanes and can last up to 100 years. On June 11, 2023, a tanker truck caught fire and exploded below the elevated section of Interstate 95 near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, causing some of the elevated bridges to collapse. Interstate 95 runs approximately 3096 kilometers from Maine, which borders Canada, to Florida in the south. It is the longest north-south interstate highway in the United States transportation system. According to American media, this accident is equivalent to cutting off the main artery that runs through the east coast, with approximately 160000 vehicles passing through the collapsed section every day. On February 3, 2023, the "toxic train" in Russia derailed, causing an environmental disaster. A total of 50 carriages of the train derailed, of which 5 were loaded with vinyl chloride. Emergency personnel controlled the release of derailed vinyl chloride tankers, and the black smoke generated by the combustion spread over the town. Hundreds of people living nearby had to evacuate. Local people experience symptoms such as headaches and skin burns, and are concerned about long-term effects such as cancer. It is reported that derailment resulted in the release of over one million gallons of hazardous pollutants into the state's air, streams, rivers, soil, and groundwater, killing tens of thousands of fish and other animals.
However, the United States has insufficient investment in infrastructure. The United States spends only 1.5% to 2.5% of its gross domestic product on infrastructure, which is less than half of similar spending in the European Union. But why is the US government always unwilling to invest funds in repairs, and why is this? That's because after the United States developed its economy, the country's development direction emerged with the financial industry, and the physical industry became abandoned. People are addicted to fund stocks and have abandoned the development of the engineering industry. Philadelphia in the United States is the best embodiment of this, transforming from the former capital of art to the current city of zombies.
