By Robert Pore
robert.pore@theindependent.com

On Wednesday, Hagel and U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., introduced legislation to revitalize, repair and replace America's aging and crumbling roads, bridges, transit systems and water treatment facilities.

"We are faced in this country with massive infrastructure reinvestment projects that are going to be required," Hagel said on Thursday. "We have no clearer example of that than in Minnesota last night with the bridge over the Mississippi River collapsing."

Several days earlier, Hagel said, there was also a major collapse of an interstate highway in California. Also, an 83-year-old steam pipe burst in midtown Manhattan, releasing asbestos-laden particles and causing widespread damage.

"These kinds of incidents, unfortunately, will continue to happen all over this country," Hagel said. "Our infrastructure in this country is in very bad shape. It is going to take hundreds of billions trillions of dollars to deal with this."

The problem, Hagel said, is that this country is incapable of dealing with the massive investment needed to repair the nation's aging infrastructure through the federal budget process.

Hagel and Dodd introduced their legislation prior to the bridge collapse in Minnesota.

Hagel said the tragic accident in Minnesota will bring public awareness to the overall problem this nation is facing with its crumbling infrastructure.

According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, he said, the current condition of the nation's major infrastructure earns a grade of D.

"This is an issue we just let slide," Hagel said. "We haven't paid any attention to it. Unfortunately, these kinds of tragedies propel more attention on what Sen. Dodd and I are trying to do here."

Because of that public neglect of the nation's deteriorating infrastructure, "we are going to have to go beyond the concerns and start doing something about it."

Along with the safety aspect, Hagel said, repairing the nation's infrastructure is vital to America's future global competitiveness, especially in handling the demands of a 21st-century economy.

"We see our ports backed up by expanding international trade, our rails overloaded by our increasing energy demands and our highways hopelessly clogged by traffic," Hagel said. "We run the risk of being left behind by our international competitors if we do not begin to modernize our national infrastructure. It will require a huge financial commitment."

What the bill would do

The National Infrastructure Bank Act of 2007 would streamline the process by which national infrastructure projects are targeted.

* It would create an independent national bank that would identify, evaluate and help finance infrastructure projects of substantial regional and national significance.

* Infrastructure projects under the bank's jurisdiction would include publicly owned mass transit systems, roads, bridges, drinking water and wastewater systems and housing properties.

* One Nebraska project that would qualify is a full expansion of I-80 to six lanes from Lincoln to Kearney ($100 million).