Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

U.S. Gets D+ in Infrastructure

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • U.S. Gets D+ in Infrastructure

    Report blasts American infrastructure


    - - - - - - - - - - - -
    By LESLIE MILLER



    Sept. 4, 2003 |

    WASHINGTON (AP) -- America's infrastructure is full of cracks, leaks and holes and is getting worse, according to an analysis by civil engineers that gives the nation's transportation, water and energy systems an overall grade of D-plus.

    A report by the American Society of Civil Engineers released Thursday said the condition of 12 categories of infrastructure hasn't improved in the past two years. The report blamed a weak economy, limited federal programs, population growth and the threat of terrorism, which diverted money to security.

    "Americans' concerns about security threats are real, but so are the threats posed by crumbling infrastructure," Thomas Jackson, ASCE president, said in a statement. "It doesn't matter if the dam fails because cracks have never been repaired or if it fails at the hands of a terrorist. The towns below the dam will still be devastated."

    Schools received the worst grade -- D-minus -- from the engineers, who said three out of four school buildings are inadequate. They estimate it will cost more than $127 billion to build new classrooms and modernize outdated schools.

    Energy transmission earned a D-plus, but the engineers said the trend is getting worse. Investment in transmission fell by $115 million annually, to $2 billion a year in 2000 from $5 billion in 1975. Actual capacity increased by only 7,000 megawatts a year, 30 percent less than needed to keep up with power demand.

    The report gave roads a D-plus. "The nation is failing to even maintain the substandard conditions we currently have," the report said, adding that the average rush hour grew by more than 18 minutes between 1997 and 2000.

    The engineers' report gave bridges a C, noting that 27.5 percent of U.S. bridges were structurally deficient or obsolete in 2000.

    Transportation systems earned a C-minus, despite increased spending over the past six years. "Efforts to maintain the systems are outpaced by growth in ridership," the report said.

    Dwayne Kalynchuk, president of the American Public Works Association, said investing in the nation's infrastructure needs to be more of a priority.

    "We're all certainly aware of issues, of emergencies, and investing in emergencies immediately," Kalynchuk said. "But I think here we have an emergency that is going to catch up to us in the next few years if we don't deal with it today."

    The Bush administration in May proposed spending $247 billion on roads, bridges and mass transit, 13 percent more than the previous six-year plan.

    Rep. Don Young, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has proposed a $375 billion spending plan, to be paid for by indexing the gasoline tax to inflation. Young, R-Alaska, said in a statement that the report reinforced his serious concerns about the state of the U.S. infrastructure.

    "If we don't provide adequate investment in transportation and water infrastructure, we will dearly regret it in the long run," Young said.

    The report's other grades included:

    --D for aviation. "Little is being done to capitalize on the low growth period after 9/11 to address the nation's aviation infrastructure needs."

    --D for drinking water and wastewater. The nation's 54,000 drinking water systems are aging rapidly and some sewer systems are 100 years old, while federal funding remains flat.

    --D for dams, with the number of unsafe dams rising to nearly 2,600 and 21 dam failures in the past two years.
    Christianity: The belief that a cosmic Jewish Zombie who was his own father can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree...

  • #2


    the beginning of the end!
    "I've lived too long with pain. I won't know who I am without it. We have to leave this place, I am almost happy here."
    - Ender, from Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: U.S. Gets D+ in Infrastructure

      Originally posted by chegitz guevara
      A report by the American Society of Civil Engineers
      That tells me to take this report with a grain of salt. So the people who's jobs depend on there being more construction feel we should do more construct? Shocking.
      Try http://wordforge.net/index.php for discussion and debate.

      Comment


      • #4
        Even though I agree that these guys might be looking for more work, they are correct: we spend very little upkeeping what makes this country run..there has been little investment into infrastructure.

        Finally in NYC they will get to a new subway line, though it will cost 12 billion.
        If you don't like reality, change it! me
        "Oh no! I am bested!" Drake
        "it is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong" Voltaire
        "Patriotism is a pernecious, psychopathic form of idiocy" George Bernard Shaw

        Comment


        • #5
          interestingly (or not as the case may be) a similar report was issued a little while ago about the UK by the british equivelent of ASCE. basically saying that our roads and railways are crap, which is a bit like saying that the sky is blue and grass is green these days. although our lot blames a lot of it on local government, as well they might, if my local council is anything to go by.
          "The Christian way has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found to be hard and left untried" - GK Chesterton.

          "The most obvious predicition about the future is that it will be mostly like the past" - Alain de Botton

          Comment


          • #6
            Our systems are old

            The freeway systems are espcially busted up
            We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution. - Abraham Lincoln

            Comment


            • #7
              We need to invest in steam trains
              "The issue is there are still many people out there that use religion as a crutch for bigotry and hate. Like Ben."
              Ben Kenobi: "That means I'm doing something right. "

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Re: U.S. Gets D+ in Infrastructure

                Originally posted by Oerdin


                That tells me to take this report with a grain of salt. So the people who's jobs depend on there being more construction feel we should do more construct? Shocking.
                Maybe it's also because they're professionals with these issues, so they're um, oh I don't know . . . .



                MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE??
                A lot of Republicans are not racist, but a lot of racists are Republican.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Uhh, no...Obviously Oerdin is more knowledgable than all of them!
                  Eventis is the only refuge of the spammer. Join us now.
                  Long live teh paranoia smiley!

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: U.S. Gets D+ in Infrastructure

                    Originally posted by chegitz guevara
                    WASHINGTON (AP) -- America's infrastructure is full of cracks, leaks and holes and is getting worse, according to an analysis by civil engineers that gives the nation's transportation, water and energy systems an overall grade of D-plus.
                    Who do these engineers think they are, experts or something?



                    (\__/) 07/07/1937 - Never forget
                    (='.'=) "Claims demand evidence; extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence." -- Carl Sagan
                    (")_(") "Starting the fire from within."

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      If I were president, I would sooo try to abolish social security, spend its money on roads and schools, and then get voted out by a mob of angry senior citizens.
                      "You're the biggest user of hindsight that I've ever known. Your favorite team, in any sport, is the one that just won. If you were a woman, you'd likely be a slut." - Slowwhand, to Imran

                      Eschewing silly games since December 4, 2005

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Well, Che, we have to start electing people who actually care about "infrastructure." It's not a sexy issue. But I personally would like us to invest in high speed railroads like they have in Japan - private companies who service is superb. Killing Amtrack wher ever a private company is willing to invest and providing them rights of way may be the way to go.
                        http://tools.wikimedia.de/~gmaxwell/jorbis/JOrbisPlayer.php?path=John+Williams+The+Imperial+M arch+from+The+Empire+Strikes+Back.ogg&wiki=en

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by GePap
                          Even though I agree that these guys might be looking for more work, they are correct: we spend very little upkeeping what makes this country run..there has been little investment into infrastructure.

                          Finally in NYC they will get to a new subway line, though it will cost 12 billion.
                          This may be area dependent. In the county where I live there is a fairly robust spending program. It is a fast growing area, but they are smart enough to upgrade old stuff when they build new. Incidently and amazingly, they are doing all this without taxing the crap out of us.

                          Congrats GePap on the new line. From where to where?
                          "I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and you disagree with this administration somehow you're not patriotic. We should stand up and say we are Americans and we have a right to debate and disagree with any administration." - Hillary Clinton, 2003

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Ned
                            Well, Che, we have to start electing people who actually care about "infrastructure." It's not a sexy issue. But I personally would like us to invest in high speed railroads like they have in Japan - private companies who service is superb. Killing Amtrack wher ever a private company is willing to invest and providing them rights of way may be the way to go.
                            You're telling a communist that we need more private companies?
                            "You're the biggest user of hindsight that I've ever known. Your favorite team, in any sport, is the one that just won. If you were a woman, you'd likely be a slut." - Slowwhand, to Imran

                            Eschewing silly games since December 4, 2005

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              I would think a D- would mean we are living in a 3rd world country.

                              I don't trust their grading system

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X