Region 1 News
I. Vermont Section Releases Infrastructure Report Card
On February 21, 2012, the Vermont Section of ASCE released the first report of its kind in Vermont, the Report Card for Vermont’s Infrastructure. The Report Card provides an evaluation and letter grade for Vermont’s roads, bridges, dams, municipal drinking water and municipal wastewater systems. Of the five areas of infrastructure, grades ranged from a “C” to a “D-“, with roads and municipal wastewater scoring the lowest.
“Infrastructure plays a significant role in the everyday life of the citizens of Vermont,” said Bernie Gagnon, president of the Vermont Section of ASCE. “We need to improve these grades in order to sustain and grow our economy.”
The study provides a state-focused report, modeled after the ASCE Report Card on America’s Infrastructure, which examines the nation’s infrastructure and rates the overall infrastructure as deserving a “D.” This report highlights the condition of Vermont’s infrastructure so that the public and policy makers can make informed decisions on funding our critical assets.
“For the first time, the citizens of Vermont have a clear evaluation of their state’s critical infrastructure conditions,” said Andrew W. Herrmann, P.E., SECB, F.ASCE, president of ASCE. “This report shows that the state’s roads, bridges and water systems need to be made a priority.”
Click here to read a recent press release in the Vermont Business Magazine. The Vermont Section website has an Infrastructure Report Card webpage where you can download a copy of their report card.
II. BSCES reacts to news article in Boston Globe
BSCES members reacted quickly to an article printed in the Boston Globe on April 7, 2011. The article was about the Nation's Infrastructure and references to the ASCE 2009 report card were made. The article was critical of the Report Card. Here is an exerpt from the article, "An infrastructure crisis is also proclaimed by an American Society of Civil Engineers’ Report that gives America a “D,’’ but that report contains no quantitative benchmarks, no global comparisons, and not even the faintest whiff of trading costs against benefits. The nation’s drinking water gets a “D-’’ despite the report’s verdict that “Americans still enjoy some of the best tap water in the world.’’ The low marks are used to justify a call for $2.2 trillion of spending over five years. One wonders whether this is just another special interest lobbying for more public spending on its industry". Click here to read the full article