Report gives U.S. infrastructure bad marks
THE NATION has been given a grade of "D" on the state of its infrastructure. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, the USA's roads, bridges, schools, and drinking-water systems--the things we take for granted--have been assumed healthy for too long.
The engineers' report, issued on Wednesday, is actually down from the D+ received on the last report card four years ago. The new summary reflects the change in priorities that has taken place since Sept. 11, 2001, and includes national security as a new category. While security issues and defense spending are sapping funds for concrete and asphalt, it's not as though we were addressing these needs adequately before the terrorist attacks.
Like a report from the milk producers that says we need to drink more milk, this survey comes from civil engineers, whose job it is to design and build infrastructure. Nevertheless, the report offers evidence that without a serious investment in the nation's basic systems of operation, they will crumble into crisis sooner or later.
In a passage that hits close to home, the report notes that twice now, Fredericksburg City Councilman Joe Wilson has mailed chunks of concrete that have fallen from the railroad bridge across Caroline Street to Michael Ward, the chairman of CSX Corp. After putting off repairs for years, CSX says it will do the work--if a transportation bill that includes $2.5 million requested by Rep. Jo Anne Davis to fix the city's rail bridges becomes law. The bill passed a preliminary House vote on Thursday, but it has a tough road ahead in the Senate. State, regional, and municipal funding also have proper roles in the railroad-bridge fix.
In every segment of the engineers' report, the solution is to spend money, which is always more easily suggested than accomplished. Indeed, the report puts the national infrastructure spending deficit at $1.6 trillion. But, helpfully, the study reminds us of the expense we incur by failing to make infrastructure investment. Driving on Virginia's potholed roads, for example, costs motorists $1.2 billion a year. Sitting in traffic in the Washington Metropolitan Area costs every commuter $1,212 a year in wasted fuel and lost time. But persuading those drivers--or taxpayers--that they'll be saving themselves money by underwriting expensive improvements is no easy task.
Might the collapse of a school building spur repairs to the 60 percent of Virginia's schools that have at least one inadequate building feature? Would a sickened family or community prompt even a down payment on the estimated $2 billion needed to fix Virginia's drinking water plants over the next 20 years?
Who knows what sort of breakdown will occur before the message gets through? At some point we may be destined to learn how penny-wise and pound-foolish we've been.