The American Society of Civil Engineers gives the nation’s infrastructure a grade of D+. That’s according to new reportreleased on Tuesday.
The report give levees and inland waterways a D-.
It cites the inland waterway system’s aging locks and dams and an average of 52 service interruptions per day. These are often caused by high volumes at transit points and equipment failure.
Lock and Dam 27 is the busiest lock on the Mississippi River, and it had two emergency closures last year.
Army Corps of Engineers spokesperson Mike Peterson says the Corps has invested $58 million in stimulus money to rehab that lock near Granite City, Illinois to make sure it’s reliable.
“Unfortunately as a whole, the Mississippi River lock system, we’re talking an average age of about 60 to 80 years. The design life on these locks and dams is about 50,” Peterson said. “So what we’re looking at is how can we keep this system viable when we know that new project starts are few and far between.”
The country’s levee system is also in trouble. The American Society of Civil Engineers reports it will take $100 billion in investment to rehabilitate the nation’s aging levees.
The Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency have purview over about 35% of the nation’s levees, while the rest fall under state and local control.
Corps spokesperson Mike Peterson says levees now protect more than farmland. Communities, businesses and industries are increasingly located in floodplains.
“There’s so many things that can go wrong with a levee, especially as they get older. Much of our infrastructure was built decades and decades ago with a design life of about 50 years. So we’ve already surpassed that for a lot of these systems,” Peterson said.
Roads and bridges fared somewhat better nationwide. Roads received a D and bridges got a C+. About 32% of the nation’s roads are in poor or mediocre condition, as compared to about 31% in Missouri. Many of those roads are county and municipal roads outside the purview of the Missouri Department of Transportation. 85% of major MODOT highways and 71% of rural highways are in good condition.
Bob Brendel is a special assignment coordinator with the Missouri Department of Transportation.
He says MODOT’s construction budget has dropped from $1.2 billion to $700 million. Brendel says that’s enough to maintain the system, but moving forward, the system will continue to deteriorate.
“Because fuel tax revenues are no longer a growing revenue stream. They’re a decreasing revenue stream,” Brendel said. “And as cars have gotten more fuel efficient, as people drive less, as the price of gasoline goes up, the amount of fuel tax collected has gone down four years in a row.”
Brendel says deteriorating infrastructure is partly a funding issue, and partially because people take it for granted.
“It’s a lot like the lights in your house. You take it for granted that you’re going to have electricity until you flip the switch one day and the light doesn’t come on,” Brendel said. “Other forms of transportation are the same. We build the highway and people then take for granted that it’s always going to be there. But nothing lasts forever.”
The Missouri Senate passed a one cent sales tax proposal last week that could raise $8 billion for transportation projects. It still needs passage in the House. If signed by the governor, it will need voter approval.
For more information on the report card, please click here.
