The state of our U. S. infrastructure is dire. The results of failing to invest in our outdated transportation network and maintain a state of good repair are threatening our resilience, our security, our economic performance and our ability to compete globally.
 

According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, America needs to make a $2 trillion infrastructure investment during the next five years. Funding is too dependent on state budgets, however, and the situation will only worsen as federal stimulus spending ends.
 

Yet, to make real progress, these facts must give way to the real underlying issue as I see it — convincing the American people and Congress why they should invest. What are we asking the public to pay for? We don’t have a comprehensive national transportation plan that includes an integrated strategy for all modes of transportation, so it is unclear to them where their hard earned dollars are going.
 

Infrastructure professionals, working with the public, private funders and legislators, should act now to create and execute a master infrastructure plan for our country. The opportunity before us is the biggest we’ve seen since President Dwight Eisenhower championed the Interstate Highway System in the 1950s.
 

If we embrace this opportunity, we can begin to create the balanced multi-modal transportation network this country needs. We can create jobs to turn the economy around. We can ensure infrastructure strength and capacity to support growth in international trade. We can shore up security and safety for our citizens. And we can significantly affect the quality of life in our largest metropolitan areas.
 

If we don’t, we will continue to lag behind competitors such as China and India. We’ll lose more credibility with the American public. And we will face ever-increasing municipal and individual debt, as we attempt to fund infrastructure replacements with incremental funding strategies.
 

The answer lies in a coordinated, strategic national infrastructure program that crosses all transportation modalities, explained in a way the American people can understand and support. The plan also has to leverage both public funding and private investment— a source that we’ve failed to fully mine.
 

We need to do a better job of informing the public. Research tells us that Americans believe our infrastructure is crumbling, and they are willing to spend more to fix it. But they’re not sure what they’re getting for their money because they have been misinformed on many fronts, including the efficacy of gas taxes—monies which in some cases are being diverted instead of being used for transportation.
 

We need to elect leaders who share a positive vision for our country’s infrastructure, understand the urgency and are willing to take the lead.
 

Paul Yarossi is president of HNTB Holdings Ltd.,a national transportation infrastructure engineering firm.