Civil Engineers Issue Harsh Report on State of Infrastructure
Image: U.S. DOT
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Image: U.S. DOT
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The American Society of Civil Engineers has once again assigned a barely passing grade of “D+” to the nation’s overall infrastructure and an even more parsimonious “D” to our road network. Bridges, though, fared a bit better— scoring a “C+.”
On the other hand, ASCE conceded in its latest Infrastructure Report Card that there has been “incremental progress” on fixing infrastructure. Still, there hasn’t been enough positive movement across the broad infrastructure board yet to secure even an overall rating of “C.”
ASCE said the 2017 grades range from the highest (a “B” for Rail to a “D-“ for Transit). The group said this range illustrates the clear impact of investment – or lack thereof – on the grades. Here is the grading system spelled out: “A” is “exceptional; “B” is good; “C” is mediocre; “D” is poor, at risk; and “F” is—no surprise here– failing, unfit for purpose.
Three categories (Parks, Solid Waste, and Transit) saw their grade decline this time while seven (Hazardous Waste, Inland Waterways, Levees, Ports, Rail, Schools, and Wastewater) saw slight improvements. Six categories’ grades remain unchanged from 2013: Aviation, Bridges, Dams, Drinking Water, Energy, and Roads.
Where there was improvement, it came thanks to “vocal leadership, thoughtful policymaking, and investments that garnered results.” ASCE contended that these improvements “demonstrate what can be accomplished when solutions that move projects forward are approved and implemented.”
“While our nation’s infrastructure problems are significant, they are solvable,” ASCE President Norma Jean Mattei said in a statement on the report card. In a thinly veiled reference to President Trump among other politicians, she added that, “We need our elected leaders– those who pledged to rebuild our infrastructure while on the campaign trail– to follow through on those promises with investment and innovative solutions that will ensure our infrastructure is built for …Read the rest of this story
