America has an infrastructure crisis.

We see signs of it every day: We hit bone-jarring potholes as we drive. We face long detours as bridges are closed for emergency repairs. When water mains break, businesses must temporarily close and homeowners have to boil their water. Too many of our kids attend schools that have leaky roofs and rattling windows.

This infrastructure crisis is costly. Damage caused by pothole-ridden roads costs the average family $355 a year. By 2020, businesses and workers can expect to face $430 billion in added costs due to deficient roads and bridges, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

America also faces an ongoing job crisis. Nearly 10 million Americans remain out of work five years after the economic recovery began — the slowest economic rebound since the Great Depression. More than a third of unemployed Americans have been looking for work for more than six months. There are three job seekers for every job opening.

Fixing our crumbling infrastructure would create jobs. It would also save money in the future because as the condition of our infrastructure worsens, the cost to repair it only grows. But instead, we’ve reduced the amount of money available for infrastructure repairs.

To continue reading this op-ed that is being distributed by OtherWords, click here.