Public-Private Partnership is the Key to Addressing Aging Infrastructure in the U.S.

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Public-Private Partnership is the Key to Addressing Aging Infrastructure in the U.S.
“We should not be waiting until trains derail, bridges collapse and people die to adequately fund our transportation infrastructure.” This is what Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty from Connecticut’s 5th congressional district said while addressing the issue of aging infrastructure in the United States (U.S.). The aging infrastructure poses a great risk to the transportation network, the energy grid, communications networks and the water system (Zurich 3). When such networks fail to operate effectively, the economy suffers. The government faces a challenge in financing the infrastructure given that the funding provided by the federal government is limited. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers (12), the level of funding from the federal government cannot be able to make the necessary changes in the current state of infrastructure, although it is sufficient to avoid the looming risk of complete infrastructure failure. As such, incorporating the Public-Private Partnership (PPP), which is a long-term agreement between a private partner and the government for the former to finance infrastructure (Hodge and Greve 1), is the most viable option. However, while PPPs are costly to finance, they provide quality infrastructure on time, and the government does not have to pay for the costs upfront.
Given that taxpayers have to bear the cost of infrastructure, they deserve to get quality for their money. This is where one of the main benefits of PPPs come in. PPPs are more concerned with providing long-lasting solutions, and each participant uses their expertise to make the project work. According to Delmon (3), a PPP focuses more on service than on construction given that they are responsible for maintenance of the infrastructure. This implies that PPPs will focus more on building quality infrastructure to minimize the costs that can be incurred during maintenance. Further, PPPs examine the life cycle costs and risks (Delmon 3), thus ensuring that high-quality standards are achieved throughout the project. In the end, the public can access the quality infrastructure which can effectively match the initial cost of the infrastructure.
Construction of infrastructure can take longer, especially when the builders lack the incentives to complete their work on time. The state of infrastructure in the U.S. is critical, and as such, the country cannot afford to have any delays because the economy will suffer. This makes PPPs the most viable option because there are no delays in the delivery of services to the public. As noted by Delmon (2), PPPs are driven by incentives offered by the government, and as such, they are more focused on delivering services on time. Some of the incenti...