The American Society of Civil Engineers today assigned a grade of “D+” to the quality of U.S. roads, bridges and other infrastructure in a closely watched assessment that the group publishes every four years.
Bloomberg reports the ASCE says an additional $2 trillion in funding is needed to raise the standards. The findings could reinforce President Donald Trump’s initiative to steer as much as $1 trillion in public and private funds to U.S. infrastructure over the coming years.
The president met with private-sector leaders on Wednesday to discuss his plan and says he wants states to be ready to start projects within 90 days of receiving funding, according to the White House.
“We need our elected leaders—those who pledged to rebuild our infrastructure while on the campaign trail—to follow through on those promises with investment and innovative solutions that will ensure our infrastructure is built for the future,’’ Norma Jean Mattei, ASCE president, says in a statement.
The ASCE evaluates 16 categories of infrastructure in its 2017 report card, with grades ranging from a “B’’ for rail to a “D-’’ for transit. Engineers assessed data and reports and consulted with technical and industry experts to assign grades, the group says. The criteria included whether capacity meets current and future demands, infrastructure condition and the current level of funding.
The ASCE defines the “D+’’ grade as infrastructure that is “in fair to poor condition and mostly below standard, with many elements approaching the end of their service life.”
