Our Failing Infrastructure

Since releasing the grades from our 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, many of you have been asking about what the conditions are on the local and state level.  Well, to put it simply, we are working on it.

When the Report Card gets fully released on March 25^th, ASCE will also be releasing fact sheets on each of the 50 states.  These facts sheets will include data and rankings from the Report Card infrastructure categories and the fact sheets will also include information from engineers on the ground in each state.

In the meantime, check out these state and regional Report Cards released by ASCE Sections local to the area. State Report Cards at http://www.asce.org/reportcard/2005/page.cfm?id=201

Some of these Report Cards, such as Colorado, Georgia, Maine and Texas, are brand new and are the best source of information about those states.

Thanks for reading and taking an interest in our infrastructure!

The news of ASCE’s 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure is spreading across the country and even around the globe.

At today’s release event, ASCE President, D.Wayne Klotz, P.E., D.WRE, F.ASCE reminded us that “Crumbling infrastructure has a direct impact on our personal and economic health, and the nation’s infrastructure crisis is endangering our future prosperity.”

Joining ASCE today at the release, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell – a fervent infrastructure advocate as reported previously on this blog – said that as the economy continues to worsen, Americans shouldn’t have to worry about poor infrastructure. In fact, some industries are so dependent on infrastructure – such as Pennsylvania’s steel producers- that if they were to experience an infrastructure failure, it could be years before they got back to business.

Another longtime infrastructure supporter, U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, (D-OR) also praised the Report Card and pledge to work with us to help improve the state of the nation’s infrastructure. “Today’s report … is a wake-up call to our government and our nation about the threat posed by our ailing infrastructure to maintaining and improving our economy and way of life,” he said in a statement.

We’re also getting a lot of great coverage in the media. Here’s a taste:

U.S. Infrastructure Is in Dire Straits : New York Times

Engineers Give U.S. Infrastructure A ‘D’: CBS News

Poor infrastructure fails America, civil engineers report: CNN (We’re #7 on the top 10 viewed stories – let’s get up to #1! Start Clicking!)

Engineers give roads, other public works a ‘D’ MSNBC

Engineers seek stimulus add-on for crumbling infrastructure USA Today

US roads, water and basic systems earn ‘D’ grade Washington Post

America’s infrastructure ‘in crisis’  The Telegraph (U.K.)

Today, we at the American Society of Civil Engineers released our 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. As in 2005, the cumulative GPA on the Report Card was a D. Additionally, we estimate that it will take $2.2 trillion spent (that’s including both current and new monies) over five years to bring the condition up to an acceptable level.

For the most part, the individual category grades did not change. There has been little or no increase in funding and, correspondingly, no noticeable improvement in conditions over the past four years. In some cases, the conditions have worsened and the grades have gone down.

The Aviation, Roads, Transit grades all slipped half a letter grade to D, D- and D, respectively. Most of that change was due to those systems’ inability to meet the demands today’s travelers and commuters put on them. The lone improvement this year: Energy. The nation’s electric grid is expected to receive massive public and private investments over the next few years to implement SmartGrid technology and thus earned a bump from a D to a D+.

The new category this year, Levees, received a D- . Much of the condition of the nation’s estimated 100,000 miles of levees is unknown and there is a great deal of work to be done cataloging and analyzing their location and safety.

Despite these depressingly low grades, there is hope. Luckily, the civil engineers who design, build, and maintain the nation’s infrastructure everyday are also best equipped to make recommendations on how to improve it. In conjunction with the grades, we have also released 5 Key Solutions to help raise the grades. They are:

·        Increase federal leadership in infrastructure to address the crisis.

·        Promote sustainability and resilience in infrastructure to protect the natural environment and withstand natural and man-made hazards.

·        Develop national, regional, and state infrastructure plans that complement a national vision and focus on system-wide results.

·        Address life-cycle costs and ongoing maintenance to meet the needs of current and future users.

·        Increase and improve infrastructure investment from all stakeholders.

Detailed information on the grades and solutions can be found on the 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure website.

We decided to move the release forward two months so that this new data could help highlight the importance of including infrastructure funding in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – but we can’t do it alone. ASCE will be making the case for infrastructure and promoting the Report Card on the Hill and to the new administration, but lawmakers need to hear from their constituents that they think this is important too. So please take a moment to visit ASCE’s Click and Connect with Congress advocacy website to send a message to your legislators today.

The excitement is building – the 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure is coming out tomorrow!

Everywhere I go, people stop me and ask about the Report Card. Walking down the street, on the Metro, camped outside my front door – everyone wants to know the grades. OK, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but despite insistent and persistent inquiries, we still have to keep the grades and investment needs figure under wraps for a few more hours.

What I can tell you, however, is that we’ve got a fresh new look for the Report Card, a great new website, and lots of good new ideas to help improve the nation’s infrastructure. And you’ll get to explore them before you know it.

If you want to see the press release of the Report Card from the comfort of your own home or desk, you can view it beginning tomorrow at 10 AM online. Register here.

Catch Popular Mechanics’ sneak peak at the Report Card here.

We’re putting the finishing touches on everything and the big day is almost here! On Wednesday, January 28 ASCE will release its 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. It’s hard to believe that after over a year of work, it’s finally here.

On Wednesday, we will release the grades from each of the 15 categories of infrastructure, solutions to begin improving infrastructure, and an updated needs figure.

Joining us at the release will be Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell. Gov. Rendell is a long-time supporter of infrastructure renewal and has made it the signature issue of his tenure as President of the National Governors Association. Just this morning, he called infrastructure “the sexiest word in the English language” on MSNBC’s Morning Joe.

While I’m not sure if you use that line in the bar tonight it will help you get a date, you will at least appear informed on the major policy issues of the day, so that’s not bad. Keep checking this blog for more updates on the Report Card to stay informed on the latest developments.

A special dispatch from Leslie Nolen, ASCE’s Senior Manager of Grassroots and State Government Relations

Nowhere to begin but at the very beginning…

I had hoped to make it to ASCE’s D.C .office at 101 Constitution Avenue, mere yards from the West front of the Capitol – what a great vantage point! Maybe I will get a picture to put with my blog post!

Well. When I turned on my TV at 7 A.M. and heard that people were already waiting in ridiculously long security lines, I thought my plan might not be so brilliant. But I decided to try anyway!

8:45 A.M.  Left my house in Arlington, VA, 4.5 miles across the river from the Capitol. Not quite as early as I was intending to leave, but still nearly three hours before the ceremony was to start.

9 A.M. Just passing the Iwo Jima Memorial – nice and toasty on this cold morning due to my brisk pace.

9:15 A.M. On the Memorial Bridge, pause for a moment to take in the view since the bridge is reserved for pedestrians only today. In front of me, the Lincoln Memorial.

Behind me, Arlington National Cemetery with Arlington House mansion high on the hill. Below me, the partially frozen Potomac River – it’s been really cold here recently. Thankfully, it warmed up to 30 degrees today. Got to keep moving!

9:50 A.M. Dead stop at 14^th Street. Congestion on a road with no cars. Nobody can cross, held back by some tens of thousands of police officers. I’m told I need to backtrack to 18^th Street, then head North, perhaps to I or K Streets to get around the White House and its security perimeter, before I can continue heading East. I started back this way, but was soon met by a flood of people heading toward me South down 18^th Street. Since it was now 10 A.M., I realized I wasn’t going to make it. Sigh.

10:30 A.M. I make my way to a spot on the Mall right next to the World War II Memorial (right next to the Alaska pillar) to view the ceremony on the jumbotrons just west of the Washington Monument.

11 A.M. Getting chilly standing on the cold ground. Lots of activity going on, though. Everyone is excited and anxious. There are some people protesting. What they are protesting, I can’t be exactly sure, but that’s pretty much par for the course.

11:30 A.M. All the dignitaries are being introduced way far away on the Capitol steps. The crowd watching the screens is cheering for some, booing for others. I don’t think there’s any need to boo, grow up people.

12:05 P.M. The Main Event! 

12:15 P.M. President Obama’s Inaugural Address. I get a few looks from the people around me because I’m the only person who cheers when he starts talking about infrastructure. He’s going to fix the roads and bridges! Hooray!

12:30 P.M. It’s all over. The former President’s helicopter just flew over. It’s time to head back home to my nice warm house.

So I didn’t make it to the office, but I’m glad I went. Just being out on this historic day with so many people makes me very optimistic about the coming years. Not only do we have a new president that believes in infrastructure, there are so many people who believe in him. I can’t wait to keep everyone posted on what happens next!

President Barack Obama took the oath of office today and immediately set the country on an ambitious task with these words. The new president faces incredible challenges with an economy in shambles and two wars abroad.

In his inaugural address, President Obama promised to put people back to work through infrastructure and science, “We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.”

He acknowledged the enormity of the problems we face, but with this characteristic optimism, President Obama assured us all this can be done. “Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions, who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short, for they have forgotten what this country has already done, what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose and necessity to courage.”

There are few plans that are bigger than a new road or bridge – or new dam or water treatment system – but if we want to maintain our prosperity and quality of life, we’ll need that ambition and imagination.

When ASCE releases its 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure next week, we’ll offer the new President our ideas for how to improve the nation’s infrastructure. We hope that at this crucial time, we’ll be able to help the president and congressional leaders begin to address the twin problems of failing infrastructure and a recession.

So let’s get to work!

Across the country today, people will be gathering to celebrate and remember this great man’s legacy. True, Dr. King didn’t spend a lot of time talking about infrastructure, but he did spend quite a bit of energy talking and teaching about individual rights and responsibilities.

Thanks to people like Dr. King who reminded us to exercise our rights to their fullest, we have a flourishing society of active and engaged citizens. Without his work, and others of his generation, there might not be such a thing as a blog where anyone with a computer and a little time can share an opinion and hear others. Because of our rights, we have a place to come together, discuss, disagree, and learn.

Civil engineers have a responsibility to protect public health and safety. Part of that responsibility is to inform others of the risks and needs of our infrastructure and offer sensible solutions. So, the next time you have the opportunity to talk to an elected official, send a letter to the editor, or attend a town hall – take it. You have the right, and you have the responsibility to share your expert perspective.

It may not seem like a lot, but I don’t think Dr. King expected all of us to be leaders of his proportions. A great way to honor his memory is just to remember that our own, unique contributions can make a difference. But we can’t make a difference if we don’t try.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

With all the attention infrastructure has been receiving in regards to the economic recovery package, the one question we at ASCE seem to be hearing the most is, “Hey, when are you guys putting out your updated Report Card?”

Well funny you should ask that, because we just decided to release the 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure on January 28, 2009.

To help make the case for infrastructure investment, not just in the economic recovery package, but in the long-term as well, we will release the grades for the 15 categories, solutions for improvement, and a new cost estimate for bringing the condition up to a good level.

The Report Card was originally scheduled to be released on March 25, and due to the time constraints, the bulk of the report will still come out on that day. In March, you can expect full explanations of each category’s condition, specific policy recommendations to improve the condition, information on infrastructure in each of the 50 states, and a new interactive website.

The committee of ASCE members updating the Report Card, and the staff assisting them, realized that the best way to advocate for the civil engineer’s perspective during these troubled times would be an accelerated release. In the coming days, this team will be busy putting the finishing touches on the new grades. To help make sure the news about the 2009 Report Card for America’s infrastructure gets spread far and wide, there are a few things you can do:

·        Contact your legislators at ASCE’s Click and Connect with Congress website.

·        Submit a letter to the editor or op-ed to your local newspaper. Samples can be found on the PR University Web site.

·        Comment on a story on your newspaper’s Web site or a local blog.

And as always, we love to hear from the readers of Our Failing Infrastructure, so please leave a comment and let us know what you think.

All the buzz around the Nation’s Capital this past month has been on the proposed economic recovery package. As the economy has worsened, the goals of the program have increased. And presumably so has the price tag. The only problem was, no one knew exactly what that price tag would be.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman, David Obey, D-WI, cleared up some of those questions today when he released the committee’s proposal for the American Recovery and Reinvestment bill.  The final price tag for new spending and tax cuts comes in at $825 billion, with a good chunk of that going to infrastructure.

Among the highlights:

• $30 billion for highways construction;
• $9 billion for transit;
• $1.1 billion for Amtrak;
• $10 billion for science facilities, research, and instrumentation. Including $3 billion for NSF, $300 million for NIST, and $200 million for USGS;
• $11 billion for research and development, pilot projects, and federal matching funds for the Smart Grid Investment Program;
• $3 billion for the Airport Improvement Program;
• $6 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund;
• $2 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund;
• $4.5 billion for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers;
• $500 million for the Bureau of Reclamation; and
• $900 million for Superfund and Brownfields clean-up

All these investments are a great way to put people back to work and make a good start on improving the nation’s infrastructure, but what is most exciting is the chairman’s call for accountability and oversight in the program.

Under the proposed legislation, a new board, the Recovery Act Accountability and Transparency Board, will be created to oversee the progress of the program and ensure the goals are being met. The Government Accountability Office and Inspectors General of various government agencies will also receive extra funds to do project review reports.

ASCE required in its Principles for Infrastructure Stimulus Investment that accountability be set into the program, and it’s heartening to see that the advocacy efforts of ASCE members and staff are paying off in such a real way.

It’s not too late to tell your legislators about these important goals. Make sure your representative and senators know that civil engineers care about this program by visiting ASCE’s online advocacy site, Click and Connect with Congress.