Starting today, it’s officially Infrastructure Week — as in the annual bipartisan event, not a themed White House push. Remember last year, when optimism was high that Congress and President Donald Trump would soon begin work on a comprehensive infrastructure plan? This year, not so much. The lamentations have already begun: “There’s always next year.”

At forums from coast to coast this week, we’ll hear about the dismal state of our nation’s infrastructure. From the lives lost when bridges fail, to the mounting number of potholes and leaky pipes going unrepaired, the decline of our infrastructure harms Americans every single day.

The American Society of Civil Engineers says ignoring the “infrastructure gap” — or the gap between the current investment and the growing list of needs — will cost the average American household about $110,000 over the next quarter-century. By 2025, the economy could lose upwards of $4 trillion in GDP and 2.5 million jobs. The consequences of inaction are bleak.

But perhaps all is not lost. We do have two federal infrastructure proposals on the table. The president’s long-awaited blueprint, released in February, calls for $200 billion in federal funds, intended to leverage $1.3 trillion from states, cities and the private sector. Senate Democrats, in contrast, seek to provide $1 trillion in new federal funding.

While both these plans have faults and critics, they have enough in common that a bipartisan bill could be fashioned by taking the best ideas of each.

Meanwhile, House and Senate committee staff are quietly negotiating the Water Resources Development Act, and legislation to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration is taking off. It’s not all we had hoped for, but it’s a start.