Management And Accounting Web

ASCE Report Cards on America's Infrastructure

Grades from the Last Six Reports, and Summaries for 2021

Provided by James R. Martin, Ph.D., CMA
Professor Emeritus, University of South Florida

Economics Related Main | Environmental Cost Main | Social Accounting Main

The American Society of Civil Engineers provides a comprehensive assessment of America's infrastructure every four years. Grades for the last six reports appear in the attached graphic, and notes on the 2021 report appear below.

ASCE Report Cards on America's Infrastructure 2021

Deteriorating infrastructure affects our safety, overall quality of life, and makes it more difficult for us to compete in the global economy. Grades are based on eight criteria: capacity, condition, funding, future need, operation and maintenance, public safety, resilience, and innovation. An A grade means exceptional, fit for service. B is good, or adequate for now. C is mediocre, and requires attention, and a grade of D is defined as "poor, at risk," i.e., mostly below standard, with many elements approaching the end of their service life. For 2021 the ASCE studied and evaluated the status of the nation's infrastructure in seventeen categories as indicated in the exhibit below. We need a strategic and holistic plan to renew, modernize, and invest in our infrastructure to improve our quality of life and strengthen our international competitiveness.


ASCE 2021 Report Cards on America's Infrastructure: Grades and Summaries

Aviation: D+ Projections prior to Covid-19 indicated that our aviation system would have a 10-year $111 billion funding shortfall. That gap will likely grow significantly as the travel market recovers.
Bridges: C 42% of the 617,000 U.S. bridges are at least 50 years old, and 7.5% of those (46,154) are considered structurally deficient. A recent estimate indicated that $125 billion is needed for the nation's bridge repair. At the current rate of investment, it would take 50 years to make the repairs currently needed and the additional deterioration over that time would become overwhelming.
Dams: D Dams classified as "high-hazard potential "are dams where failure would cause loss of human life and extensive property damage. The Association of State Dam Safety Officials estimates that there are 2,300 deficient high-hazard-potential dams.
Drinking Water: C- Our nation's drinking water system includes 2.2 million miles of underground pipes, but the system is aging and underfunded. A water main breaks every two minutes. However, there has been progress as federal financing programs expand and water utilities raise rates to reinvest in their networks.
Energy: C- Annual spending on high voltage transmission grew from $15.6 billion in 2012 to $21.9 billion in 2017, while annual spending on electricity distribution systems grew by 54% over the last two decades. However, weather has been the predominate cause of the 638 transmission outage events from 2014 to 2018, and 92% of the outages occur along the distribution infrastructure.
Hazardous Waste: D+ Annually, there are an estimated 35 million tons of hazardous materials treated and disposed of in the United States. However, progress in mitigating where hazardous waste was produced and improperly disposed of has stalled, and the superfund cleanup site budget has remained flat at around $1.1 billion over the past 10 years. Around 60% of nonfederal Superfund sites are located in areas that may be impacted by flooding, storm surge, wildfires, or sea level rise related to climate change effects.
Inland Waterways: D+ The U.S. freight network's inland waterway (water highway) infrastructure includes locks and dams as well as navigation channels. There have been some improvements in the system, but there is a $6.8 billion backlog in construction projects and ongoing lock closures that cause delays in waterway transport. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that these delays cost the industries that rely on the waterways $44 million per year.
Levees: D+ Seventeen million people in the U.S. live or work behind one of our 30-40 thousand levees. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates that $21 billion is need to improve and maintain the moderate to high-risk levees that represent only about 15% of the known levees in the U.S. As more extreme weather events result in flooding, it has become more important than ever to equip communities with the resources to make the necessary repairs to mitigate flood risk.
Ports: B- The nations more than 300 coastal and inland ports supported 30.8 million jobs in 2018. But there is a $15.5 billion funding gap over the next ten years for waterside infrastructure such as dredging and landside infrastructure.
Public Parks: D+ Lack of investment in parks has resulted in deteriorating bridges, trails, parking areas and drinking water systems and other infrastructure. State and local parks face a $5.6 billion and 60 billion maintenance backlog respectively.
Rail: B The nation's rail network includes two categories: Freight rail and passenger rail. Freight rail has a strong network supported by direct shipper fees. However, passenger rail requires federal support and this has created a $45.2 billion backlog in needed repairs.
Roads: D Spending on highways is the largest sector of public infrastructure spending, but 40% of the nation's roads are in poor or mediocre condition causing motorist thousands of dollars in wasted time and fuel each year. In addition, there are 36,000 traffic fatalities annually, and the number of pedestrian fatalities is increasing.
Schools: D+ Although there is no comprehensive national data on K-12 public schools, the available data indicates that 53% of public school districts need to replace multiple building systems including heating, ventilation, and cooling (HVAC) systems. More than one third of public schools have portable buildings and 45% of these buildings are in poor condition. The best estimates indicate a $38 billion annual funding gap for public school facilities across the U.S.
Solid Waste: C+ Approximately 268 million tons of municipal solid waste is produced in the U.S. per year: 53% goes to landfills, 25% is recycled, 10% is composted, and 13% is combusted for energy. The disposal of this waste is mainly supported by the private sector. However, recycling rates are plateauing, while more contaminants are found in legacy landfills. As a result, funding is needed to invest in a nationwide solid waste infrastructure to focus on using solid waste as a resource, rather than as something for disposal.
Stormwater: D Although the development of stormwater systems has been increasing, urban flooding results in $9 billion in damages annually. Polluted runoff impairs 600,000 miles of rivers and streams, and more than 13 million acres of lakes, reservoirs, and ponds. Federal funding of $250 million annually leaves a growing annual funding gap of $8 billion just to comply with current regulations. A great deal more funding is needed to upgrade aging systems underneath densely populated areas.
Transit: D- 45% of Americans have no access to transit. Our existing systems are aging and $176 billion is needed to repair elements like tracks and tunnels. This transit revenue shortfall is expected to grow to $270 billion through 2029. As reliability issues become more frequent, increased congestion will hamper the economy and worsen air quality.
Wastewater: D+ The nation's 16,000 wastewater treatment plants are, on average at 81% of their capacity, while 15% have reached or exceeded their capacity. In 2019 the annual water infrastructure capital investment gap was $81 billion.
Overall: C- Over a ten year period, the total investment gap is nearly $2.59 trillion.

________________________________

For the full 2021 report see infrastructurereportcard.org/

The report card also includes state-by-state reports. See infrastructurereportcard.org/state-by-state/

Related summaries:

Global Competitiveness Report 2019

Global Competitiveness Reports 2011-2012

Kelton, S. 2020. The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People's Economy. PublicAffairs. (Note).