Yesterday, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released its quadrennial Infrastructure Report Card, giving the United States an underwhelming and worrisome grade of D+ (the same grade given in 2016) after assessing the conditions of the country’s 16 existing infrastructure categories, including roads, bridges, levees, and potable water.
That hair distance from a failing grade reflects the poor conditions of public structures throughout the country. The D+ comes after President Donald Trump’s Feb. 28 joint address to the Congress in which he stated that he would push for the approval of legislation that would lead to a $1 trillion investment in United States infrastructure. However, according to the ASCE Report Card, the U.S. needs a heftier $4.6 trillion in order to fix the nation’s dams, airports, roads, and water and electrical systems.
The 28 civil engineers from across the country who assigned the final grade take into account capacity, condition, funding, future need, operation and maintenance, public safety, and innovation, as well as the resilience of existing infrastructure. According to the official report, a D+ indicates: “The infrastructure is … mostly below standard, with many elements approaching the end of their service life. A large portion of the system exhibits significant deterioration. Condition and capacity are of serious concern with strong risk of failure.”
Of the Report Card’s 16 individual categories, the two highest individual grades are a B for rail systems and a C+ for solid waste management. All remaining categories are in the D-range, though the hazardous waste, inland waterways, levees, ports, schools, and wastewater categories saw slight improvements since 2013.
Read the full report on the ASCE website.