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PDF Available: reportcard.pdf FULL REPORT CARD FOR 2001ROADS: D+One-third of the nation's major roads are in poor or mediocre condition, costing American drivers an estimated $5.8 billion a year. Road conditions contribute to as many as 13,800 highway fatalities annually. Twenty-seven percent of America's urban freeways - which account for 61% of all miles driven - are congested.
BRIDGES: CAs of 1998, 29% of the nation's bridges were structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, an improvement from 31% in 1996. It is estimated that it will cost $10.6 billion a year for 20 years to eliminate all bridge deficiencies.
TRANSIT: C-Transit ridership has increased 15% since 1995 - faster than airline or highway transportation. Capital spending must increase 41% just to maintain the system in its present condition.
AVIATION: DAirport capacity has increased only 1% in the past 10 years, while air traffic has increased 37% during that time. Airport congestion delayed nearly 50,000 flights in one month alone last year. Congestion also jeopardizes safety - there were 429 runway incursions ("near misses") reported in 2000, up 25% from 1999.
SCHOOLS: D-Due to either aging or outdated facilities, or severe overcrowding, 75% of our nation's school buildings are inadequate to meet the needs of school children. The average cost of capital investment needed is $3,800 per student, more than half the average cost to educate that student for one year. Since 1998, the total need has increased from $112 billion to $127 billion.
DRINKING WATER: DThe nation's 54,000 drinking water systems face an annual shortfall of $11 billion needed to replace facilities that are nearing the end of their useful life and to comply with federal water regulations. Non-point source pollution remains the most significant threat to water quality.
WASTEWATER: DThe nation's 16,000 wastewater systems face enormous needs. Some sewer systems are 100 years old. Currently, there is a $12 billion annual shortfall in funding for infrastructure needs in this category; however, federal funding has remained flat for a decade. More than one-third of U.S. surface waters do not meet water quality standards.
DAMS: DThere are more than 2,100 unsafe dams in the United States. There were 61 reported dam failures in the past two years. The number of "high-hazard potential dams" - those whose failure would cause loss of life - increased from 9,281 in 1998 to 9,921 in 2001.
SOLID WASTE: C+The amount of solid waste sent to landfills has declined 13% since 1990, while the amount of waste recovered through recycling has nearly doubled. Most states have ten years' worth of landfill capacity and waste-to-energy plants now manage 17% of the nation's trash.
HAZARDOUS WASTE: D+Effective regulation and enforcement have largely halted the contamination of new sites. Aided by the best clean-up technology in the world, the rate of Superfund clean-up has quickened - though not enough to keep pace with the number of new sites listed as the backlog of potential sites is assessed.
NAVIGABLE WATERWAYS: D+The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has a backlog of $38 billion in active authorized projects. On the inland waterways system, 44% of all the lock chambers have already exceeded their 50-year design lives. Key deep-draft channels are inadequate for the mega-container ships, which are the world standard for international trade; and intermodal connectors to ports are in poor condition. Transportation demand on waterways is expected to double by 2020, and serious performance problems are likely if current levels of investment continue. ENERGY: D+
Since 1990, actual capacity has increased only about 7,000 megawatts (MW) per year, an annual shortfall of 30%. More than 10,000 MW of capacity will have to be added each year until 2008 to keep up with the 1.8% annual growth in demand. The U.S. energy transmission infrastructure relies on older technology, raising questions of long-term reliability.
America's Infrastructure G.P.A.: D+
Total Investment Needs = $1.3 Trillion
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