La. roads get a ‘D,’ bridges a ‘D+’ in infrastructure report card

A group of Louisiana civil engineers today released its first-ever report card grading the state of Louisiana’s roads, bridges, levees, dams and other infrastructure—and the scores are low. The state chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers spent 18 months studying data covering nine different categories. Louisiana’s roads received a “D” and its bridges received a “D+.” The highest grade went to dams, most of which are privately owned and maintained. They received a “B-.” Solid waste was the only other category to get an above-average grade, at “C+.” Aviation received a “C” and drinking water a “D+,” while wastewater, levees and ports each got a “C-.” Kam Movassaghi, executive director of the project team and a former state transportation secretary, says the group isn’t making funding recommendations, but is asking the governor and lawmakers to devise a planning process for how to repair and maintain the state’s crumbling infrastructure. The study, called the Report Card for Louisiana’s Infrastructure, was put together based on the findings of more than 50 volunteers—mostly civil engineers from the public and private sectors across Louisiana—who analyzed technical reports, inspection records, budgets, maintenance schedules and other documents to arrive at the letter grades. Louisiana is the 25th state to produce an ASCE report card, which is based on a similar report of the nation’s infrastructure. Plans are to update the state’s report card every five years. You can check out the full 60-page assessment here.