2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure

In a report released by the American Society of Civil Engineers, the nation’s infrastructure gets an overall D grade and estimated that it would take a $2.2 trillion investment from all levels of government over the next five years to bring it into a state of good repair.

More than a quarter of the nation’s bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. Leaky pipes lose an estimated seven billion gallons of clean drinking water daily. And, aging sewage systems send billions of gallons of untreated wastewater into the nation’s waterways annually.

“Crumbling infrastructure has a direct impact on our personal and economic health, and the nation’s infrastructure crisis is endangering our future prosperity,” the president of the society, D. Wayne Klotz, said in a statement published by the New York Times. “Our leaders are looking for solutions to the nation’s current economic crisis. Not only could investment in these critical foundations have a positive impact, but if done responsibly, it would also provide tangible benefits to the American people, such as reduced traffic congestion, improved air quality, clean and abundant water supplies and protection against natural hazards.”

The society gave the nation’s roads a D-minus, noting Americans spend an estimated 4.2 billion hours a year stuck in traffic and that 45% of major urban highways are congested. Transit and aviation also received D grades. The society noted: mass transit use increased 25% from 1995 to 2005, yet nearly 1/2 of American households still lack access to bus or rail transit. And, increasing delays faced by airline passengers highlight the need to modernize the outdated air traffic control system.

Get the complete Report Card.