Archaic, compared to whom?
Our infrastructure is still ahead of what 90% of the world's population gets to endure. Yes, it's not what it could or should be. But it's not as dire as promoted either. The unfortunate fact is that when politicians throw the word "infrastructure" about, it's not about building or rebuilding what actually needs building or rebuilding, but about spending other people's money on their pork projects and beneficiaries, or worse, "social engineering".
And Europe is ahead of us in many other ways too. They're far closer to bankruptcy than we are as well.