US needs help to fix infrastructure

I was rushing to catch my train in Union Station in Washington last Wednesday when I tripped over an uneven part of the pavement and hurt my ankle, fortunately only slightly. Exiting New York's Penn Station a few hours later on Seventh Avenue, I saw the exact same thing happen to a woman, only she looked to have come off worse than me as she had to lean on her companion to walk.

A day later, a Chinese friend who was visiting the United States for the first time was shocked to see the poor state of the roads in Manhattan. The potholes in New York City far outnumber those in Shanghai or Beijing, she said.

She could not understand why nothing had been done about them, especially since the 71st session of the UN General Assembly is to be held in the city in September, with more than 100 world leaders attending.