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Infrastructure is a very broad category. It encompasses a wide variety of different structures, without which civilization comes to a grinding halt.
On one side, you have everything related to transportation, like roads, highways, railways, bridges, airports, tunnels, public transit, etc. These are probably the things that might immediately come to mind when you hear the word ‘infrastructure.’ However, that’s just part of the equation.
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You also have structures and systems related to public utilities and energy infrastructure, like power plants, electrical grids, clean drinking water supplies, and waste management systems.
Then, you have telecommunications infrastructure that spans phone networks and the internet, including cabling and satellites.
You also can’t forget the IT infrastructure that includes hardware and software, which keep things like data centers, network equipment, cloud computing, firewalls, and operating systems functioning smoothly.
On top of all of that, you also have social infrastructure facilities like hospitals, schools, libraries, cultural institutions, and recreational facilities.
Taken together, good infrastructure is the foundation on which any civilized society is built. Without it, everything falls apart. Proper infrastructure improves people’s quality of life and allows society to function efficiently and effectively. Meanwhile, infrastructure creation and maintenance projects create jobs.
If your infrastructure fails, everything breaks down.
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Infrastructure that doesn’t just fulfil its function but also lasts for a long time without much need for maintenance is doubly impressive.
Resilient Roadways points out that the Romans began realizing the need for more reliable, long-lasting, durable, and efficient roadway systems in 312 BC. This was when the Via Appia (Appian Way), linking Rome with Capua, began to be built. It was the prototype for the Roman road system.
But the first roads are far, far older than that.
According to the Federal Highway Administration, which is part of the US Department of Transportation, the oldest constructed roads that have been discovered date back to around 4000 BC.
They were stone-paved streets in the Mesopotamian cities of Ur and Babylon (now modern Iraq).
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