---
title: "To Upgrade U.S. Infrastructure for the Digital Age, Don’t Just Pour Concrete, Says Leading Tech-Policy Think Tank; Install Chips and Sensors, Too"
summary: |-
  Investing in infrastructure can spur long-term economic growth—but it has to be about more than just pouring new concrete. The real opportunity is to also install chips, sensors, and other information technologies that will make U.S. infrastructure systems safer, more efficient, and more adaptable.
date: "2017-01-24"
content_type: "Press Releases"
canonical_url: "https://itif.org/publications/2017/01/24/upgrade-us-infrastructure-digital-age-dont-just-pour-concrete-says-leading/"
---

# To Upgrade U.S. Infrastructure for the Digital Age, Don’t Just Pour Concrete, Says Leading Tech-Policy Think Tank; Install Chips and Sensors, Too

WASHINGTON—The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), the leading U.S. science and tech policy think tank, today released the following statement from its president, Robert D. Atkinson, regarding proposals taking shape in Congress and in the Trump administration to upgrade U.S. infrastructure:

*Investing in infrastructure can spur long-term economic growth—but it has to be about more than just pouring new concrete. The real opportunity is to also install chips, sensors, and other information technologies that will make U.S. infrastructure systems safer, more efficient, and more adaptable.*

*If a major infrastructure initiative is cobbled together mainly with an eye toward creating a few years’ worth of construction jobs, it will represent a huge missed opportunity. The goal should be to lay the necessary foundations for a truly world-class economy in the digital age. By taking advantage of next-generation information technologies, we can upgrade roads and bridges so they actually help prevent accidents and speed the flow of traffic. We can improve sewers and waterways so they more effectively monitor and treat contaminants. All across the board—from transportation to the energy grid—we can add capacity and improve reliability while lowering costs.*

*Infrastructure is an issue where policymakers across the political spectrum can find common ground and accomplish big things. They should seize the opportunity to get it right.*

For more about hybridizing traditional “bricks-and-mortar” infrastructure for the digital age, see ITIF’s May 2016 report, “[A Policymaker’s Guide to Digital Infrastructure](/publications/2016/05/16/policymaker%E2%80%99s-guide-digital-infrastructure).”

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*Source: Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF)*
*URL: https://itif.org/publications/2017/01/24/upgrade-us-infrastructure-digital-age-dont-just-pour-concrete-says-leading/*