During infrastructure week (May 13-17), National Association of Counties (NACo) and partner organizations highlighted the significant role counties play in infrastructure through advocacy efforts in Washington, D.C.
Counties across the nation own and maintain 46 percent of all public roads, 38 percent of the nation’s bridges, and play a role in managing a third of the nation’s transit and airport systems. In Oregon, counties are responsible for the largest share of the road system, with 39 percent of road miles under their jurisdiction, this figure includes 3,421 bridges and 26,000 culverts.
NACo utilized infrastructure week to provide informational events including sessions for best practices and educational opportunities, featuring topics such as smart infrastructure, broadband, and smart water infrastructure. These sessions and more on infrastructure week can be viewed by clicking here.
In addition to hosting educational events on infrastructure, NACo released updated information on their County Explorer application. County Explorer allows users to view national data and drill down on specific demographic, structural, and specific programs and services. The new data in this tool helps counties compare their own infrastructure system to that of states across the nation.
Contributed by: Megan Chuinard | Public Affairs Associate