Improved U.S. Infrastructure in the past several years brought its grade up in the last four years—but only to a "mediocre" C- from D+—says the American Society of Civil Engineers in its new infrastructure Report Card.
But the March 3 report also projects that the gap between infrastructure funding needs and dollars spent on those facilities will climb to $2.59 trillion over the next 10 years, from $2.1-trillion in the group's 2017 analysis.
ASCE also notes that 11 of the 17 infrastructure categories it evaluated still scored in the D range, with transit the lowest, at D-.
美国运输秘书PETE Buttigieg表示，报告卡结果“告诉我们我们已经知道的东西 - 我们有很长的路要走......我们已经过去允许基础设施一周再次成为华盛顿策略的程度。”
[View report summaryhereand full reporthere.]
随着近年来的资金增加，等级在航空，饮用水，能源，内陆水道和港口基础设施领域上升，但桥梁在最新评论中确实更糟，其成绩从2017年倾斜到C + - 唯一的类别衰退。
asce执行董事Thomas Smith指出，多个来源的资金不足，作为中间C-Score的主要原因。“他说，”这一解决方案有很多不同的部分，“这一资金来自联邦，州，地方[政府]和私营部门。”
一些非资金行为也可能产生影响。史密斯指出，加快监管允许，考虑前方的项目的生命周期，而不是专注于初始项目费用18luck.cub
The report’s release comes as industry groups anxiously awaiting the release of President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better legislative proposal, which is expected to include a substantial amount of funding for infrastructure.
拜登说他会在2月份宣布该提案，但该日期已经下滑，现在众议院已批准的1.9万亿美元的美国救援计划法案更加焦点，参议院已经开始辩论。
Noting transit’s grade of D-, transit advocates noted the importance of keeping systems running, particularly for essential workers, at a related virtual ASCE conference .
“We have an incredible opportunity to think about how we deliver transit products to the community…. rethinking policies to make transit more convenient for essential workers,” said Jeff Nelson, general manager of the Illinois-Iowa Quad Cities Metrolink.
Elizabeth Shuler, ACL-CIO secretary-treasurer, noted that many of the country's 12.5 million union workers are in frontline essential roles, “but at the same time many have experienced loss of jobs and economic fallout." Deferring maintenance and infrastructure investment has a direct negative impact every single day." Shuler cited the example of port workers “spending hours in line waiting just to do their jobs” due to traffic congestion.
她补充说：“这正是为什么我们需要大而且大胆，指着美国建筑物的历史，包括州际系统。
Phillip Washington, CEO of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, called for a program akin to the Works Progress Administration during the 1930s, which put 8.5 million people to work on over 1 million projects and a set up a national coordinating agency for infrastructure development and delivery.
“我经常说我们应该感到羞耻 - 我们在这个国家占据了30-40岁的基础设施假期，”他说，增加了祖先“在坟墓中转过来，因为我们没有照顾他们建造的东西。”
注意到基础设施不仅包括运输和水，还包括宽带，华盛顿说：“我们希望坐在麦当劳周围的农村和城市地区的孩子，以做他们的作业，因为Wi-Fi是在那里吗？”
对于虚拟与会者来说，当延迟运输会议几分钟时，这条消息响起，因为面板被击倒线路。
Maria Lehman, GHD Inc. infrastructure lead, expressed confidence that a sustained federal commitment to infrastructure investment will happen.
“I feel it in my bones this time,” she said, citing the pandemic, climate change, economic crisis, and equity. “The solution for all of these is investing in infrastructure.” She added that infrastructure “is no longer in a mid-life crisis—it’s in an old-age crisis.”
Buttigieg说我缺乏基础设施投资s a disadvantage to the U.S. in the global context adding that the administration is focused right now on the recovery aspect, which includes preserving existing transit systems. While transportation will include development of “futuristic things that capture the sizzle,” such as commercial space travel, electric vehicles and drones, he said, “there is unglamorous work to do as well … it’s just as economically powerful just to fill that hole in the road.”
Asked by moderator Kristina Swallow, director of the Nevada Dept. of Transportation, if there is enough political will in government, he said, “The American people want us to do this. Infratructure is already one of the most bipartisan things this administration is taking on."
Buttigieg emphasized that “what we call freedom is inseparable from our choices about transportation infrastructure, water infrastructure, and increasingly digital infrastructure.”
