The Minnesota Bridge Collapse is a most tragic event. CBS news made the comment that there are over 80,000 bridges in the US that need repair. The aging steam pipe burst in New York caused a panic just two weeks ago.
Infrastructure is a strange thing. Countries that have less of it are typically "developing" countries like most of Asia,Africa and Latin America. In fact, the defining difference between the developing and developed world is the lack of reliable infrastructure like roads,bridges,power and water. Maintenance, as one of my maintenance manager friends used to tell me, is an unglamorous, unexciting affair. Maintenance is not seen as providing "news" value. Just consider, does it sound more exciting to add a sun-room or simply replace the roof and furnace? Clearly a new sun-room is as exciting as adding anew stadium than simply repairing an old bridge or pipes.
Apart from the simply good human thing to do, maintenance of infrastructure helps build the maintenance capabilities of US companies. Better capabilities developed in maintaining infrastructure can only help gaining infrastructure market entry world-wide for US companies.