The United States has increased security to protect its levees, dams and power grids from terrorists, but neglect of ordinary upkeep exposes such critical infrastructure to dangerous decay, the U.S. homeland security chief said on Friday.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff accused political leaders of playing a game of “musical chairs” by ignoring maintenance and needed upgrades and hoping facilities can avoid disaster until after they leave office.

“It’s kind of like playing Russian roulette with our citizens’ safety,” Chertoff said in a speech at the Brookings Institution think tank. Private companies have shown a similar short-term attitude over infrastructure maintenance, he said.

“We’ve made a lot of progress in terms of these common goods, publicly owned and privately owned, when it comes to protecting them against terrorist attacks,” Chertoff said.

A 2005 study by the American Society of Civil Engineers estimated it would cost $1.6 trillion over five years to bring U.S. physical infrastructure to acceptable levels. Other studies have also recommended spending more on maintenance.

But in a sign of the times, the Bush administration asked Congress on Friday for an immediate $8 billion to reimburse states for highway projects funded with federal gasoline taxes, which have slumped as American motorists drive less.

Chertoff encouraged states to follow the example of the federal anti-terrorism program and inventory infrastructure projects vulnerable to natural disasters. Strategies could then be drawn up for maintaining, reinforcing and protecting them.

Long-term maintenance costs must also be considered in evaluating projects that might be to expensive to maintain.