U.S. infrastructure improves slightly

Conditions tick up from D+ to C- grade average

The condition of infrastructure in the United States has improved slightly in the past four years, but there is still a long way to go.

That was the conclusion Wednesday of the quadrennial report card issued by the American Society of Civil Engineers, called

Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. Overall, the group’s grades averaged out to a C-, an increase from D+ in 2017 and the first time the average has been above D since the report began in 1998.

The report called the increase “incremental” and noted the country’s infrastructure investment gap actually increased from $2.1 trillion over 10 years to $2.6 trillion.

That gap is double the amount the country currently is spending on infrastructure needs, the report said.

“This is good news and an indication we are heading in the right direction, but a lot of work remains,” the report said. “Overall, 11 category grades were stuck in the D range, a clear signal that our overdue bill for infrastructure is a long way from being paid off.”

A group of 31 veteran civil engineers studied 17 categories that include transportation, drinking water, energy and inland waterways. Five categories showed improvements — aviation, drinking water, energy, inland waterways and ports — while only one, bridges,

went down.

The highest grades were for rail facilities and ports while the lowest was in transit. Stormwater — added for the first time as its own category — received a D grade.

Here are the grades by category:

Rail, B; ports, B-; solid waste, C+; bridges, C; drinking water, energy, C-; aviation, hazardous waste, wastewater, inland waterways, schools, public parks, D+; dams, roads, stormwater, levees, D; transit, D-.

Kristina Swallow, head of the Nevada Department of Transportation, who chaired the report card committee, said the study shows there’s “room for improvement.” But she noted it is “a very difficult environment” for the type of “big, bold vision” that is needed due to the COVID19 pandemic and economic recession — however, it also is an opportunity to give the economy a jolt.

The 171-page report — and a series of panels with engineers and elected officials that discuss each subject — stressed that it is important to address each element of the system because they all work together. Having good public transit to a manufacturing facility addresses only one issue if the facility doesn’t have strong water and electrical service, good roads or railroads to ship its product, and an educational system to prepare its workers.

“The coordination is huge,” said Jeff Nelson, chairman of the American Public Transportation Association board and head of the Metro Link system that serves communities on the Illinois-Iowa border. “We can’t have an A+ economy with a D-minus transportation system.”

New U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said passing a comprehensive infrastructure bill will be the Biden administration’s next goal after the stimulus package.

“We’ve got a long way to go, and our infrastructure is in a touch situation,” he said. “I think it’s one of the more bipartisan issues we can deal with.”

Sen. Tom Carper, D-Delaware, said any infrastructure program has to look to the future so the U.S. doesn’t fall further behind other countries.

“It’s not enough to fix what’s broken,” he said. “If things are worth having, they’re worth paying for.”

The study said 40% of the nation’s roads are in fair or poor condition, costing motorists an estimated $1,000 a year in extra travel time and repairs. The condition of 617,000 bridges continues to deteriorate with 8% structurally deficient across the country.

Overall, consumers pay about $2,200 annually in extra costs due to infrastructure deficiencies.

The study also noted three trends in the care of infrastructure. Maintenance backlogs continue to be a problem, but better asset management is helping; state and local governments are paying more attention to infrastructure needs, with additional help from federal funding; and officials should develop more data about infrastructure, especially in areas such as school facilities, levees and stormwater.

Pittsburgh played a key role in the conference’s presentation on drinking water, which included an eight-minute video explaining how the city has dealt with lead in its system over the past five years. The video stressed that it was important for the city and Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority to work with community groups to address the situation and with the state to fund improvements.

The video said about 8,000 of the 16,000 homes that need new water lines have received them and the rest should be done by 2026.

ASCE Executive Director Tom Smith said the organization’s report is important in setting the national agenda. The Biden administration is expected to move ahead with the national infrastructure program once the stimulus package is approved.

“I think [the report] will have a very significant impact” on the national debate for a national program, Mr. Smith said. “It is an important means by which we educate the public.”