In a perfect world, infrastructure – roads, bridges, ports, and the like – would remain pristine indefinitely.
But this isn’t a perfect world. Infrastructure exposed to heavy use, tough weather conditions, and the eroding effects of corrosion gets beaten and battered. Things fall apart.
In the U.S. in fact, our infrastructure is in such bad shape that it gets a dismal D+ grade overall from the American Society of Civil Engineers. That mark is an embarrassment for a developed nation, but shame is the least of our problems.