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U.S. public works need an extreme makeover, ASCE says
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The levees keeping Lake Pontchartrain out of New Orleans, an example of the inadequate infrastructure described in ASCE’s report, were particularly vulnerable to Hurricane Katrina. Here, a breach in the 17th Street Canal is visible in the upper right-hand corner. The New Orleans skyline lies in the distance.
ALAN DOOLEY/U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS PHOTO
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The reality of Hurricane Katrina lends added weight to a report issued earlier this year by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), whose 2005 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure granted an overall grade of D for the nation’s roads, bridges, schools, energy grid, and other public works. The mark was down a notch from the D+ issued in 2001, the last time the report card was published.
“These are serious problems, and the ASCE does a good job of raising public awareness about them,” says UC Berkeley’s Gregory Fenves, professor and chair of civil and environmental engineering. “The whole situation in New Orleans is a good example. It shows how interconnected and vulnerable our systems are and emphasizes the need for creative research and rational long-term investments.”
Civil and environmental engineering research at Berkeley and elsewhere, Fenves adds, is examining methods, materials, and technologies to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure in an attempt to avoid the problems of outdated and crumbling systems.
ASCE’s report card assessed 15 categories, including three new areas—parks, rail, and security—not evaluated in 2001. Of the remaining 12, grades remained the same for three (bridges, dams, and solid waste); worsened for seven (roads, drinking water, transit, wastewater, hazardous waste, navigable waterways, and energy); and improved for two (aviation and schools). No area received an individual grade above C+, and security received an incomplete.
According to the report, it would take five years and $1.6 trillion from all levels of government and the private sector to put America’s crumbling infrastructure back together again, not including costs for security. Only $900 billion has been allocated to the effort. |
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