America’s infrastructure receives a D-plus
Did you know, on average, Americans waste 43 hours a year stuck in traffic because of raggedy roads and highways?
Traffic jam/Getty Images. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, poor infrastructure causes traffic congestions, more car accidents and over billions of dollars wasted in traffic jams and car repairs, annually.
That’s the equivalent of a full workweek according to Greg DiLoreto, former president of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
Roads, bridges, airports, water and transit systems are deteriorating across the United States. This is due to federal and state governments underinvestment in America’s infrastructure. The 2017 report card from the American Society of Civil Engineers gives the U.S. infrastructure a near failing grade: D-plus.
Every four years, the ASCE releases its Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, which is formatted like a traditional school report card. The ASCE gives letter grades based on the physical condition, performance level and investments needed for infrastructure improvement.
As Trump’s Administration debates investment repairs for America's crumbling foundation, the ASCE suggests it would cost $4.59 trillion to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure by 2020.
The 2013 Report Card reveals how America’s infrastructure has not improved this year, as the U.S. received same cumulative grade in 2013. Then, the estimated investment was $3.6 trillion. That’s nearly a $1 trillion increase in just four years.
Under Former President Barack Obama, The Atlantic reported, “In 2015, the House and Senate sent President Obama the largest transportation package in more than a decade, costing $305 billion over five years…even though it is significantly less than the $478 billion he sought in his own plan earlier this year.”
However, Obama’s long-running push for a transportation package falls over $3 trillion short of the ASCE’s recommended $3.6 trillion investment. To civil engineers, this underinvestment results in virtually no change in America’s cumulative infrastructure grade.
President Trump’s $550 billion budget is over $200 billion more than Obama’s transportation package. But, civil engineers’ 2017 $ proposed price tag is almost double President Trump’s reduced infrastructure budget. Originally, Trump planned to invest $1 trillion dollars. With the reduced budget, the Mississippi Economic Council still estimates about $375 million annually in the next decade for the necessary repairs in Mississippi.
Moreover, the ASCE advises Congress to, “fix the highway trust fund, which is funded by the gasoline tax.” Since the gasoline tax does not generate enough revenue, the engineers are calling for an increase of 25 cents a gallon, which is more than double the current 18.4 cents per gallon. National Public Radio reported earlier this month that the President and the Republican Congress are unlikely to support such a huge increase in gasoline tax.
In ASCE’s Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, highways receive a “D” because poor road conditions cause traffic congestions and more wear and tear on vehicles.
"More than two out of every five miles of America's urban interstates are congested, and traffic delays cost this country $160 billion in wasted fuel and time," the report card continues.
Between the 2013 and 2017 Report Card, the ASCE blames poor road conditions and traffic jams for billions of dollars wasted in time and money.
“In 2014, Americans spent 6.9 billion hours in traffic. Traffic delays cost the country $160 billion in wasted time and fuel,” the 2017 Infrastructure Report Card quotes.
As a result, civil engineers reported a 7% increase in traffic fatalities from 2014 to 2015, with 35,092 deaths due to poor roads and highways.
These statistics illustrate how highways and roads are not only outdated but unable to handle today’s demand. Roads are full of more cars than it can handle, triggering even more traffic jams. Bridges earn a slightly better grade of C-plus; however, 40% of highway bridges are over 50 years old, and 59,000 are structurally deficient around the country.
Mississippi Faces Infrastructure Challenges
Mississippi struggles with its own foundation issues. An overview of Mississippi’s deteriorating infrastructure reveals, “Driving on roads in need of repair costs each driver $705 per year, and 2,098 (12.30%) of the 17,068 bridges are structurally deficient.”
Photo Credits: American Society of Civil Engineers. The map provides statistics of structurally deficient bridges in Mississippi.
The Infrastructure Super Map notes that of the 76,777 miles of public roads in Mississippi, 28% are in poor condition. In other words, this equals nearly 21,500 miles of damaged roads. Mississippi has over 360 cities; that’s about 100 cities worth of deteriorating roads.
Photo credits: American Society of Civil Engineers. This up-close image of the map’s information bubble shows statistics of poor roads and highways in Mississippi.
At the Mississippi Economic Council’s Capital Day in January, Gov. Phil Bryant believes federal infrastructure funding will help improve state’s infrastructure.
"That's the type of result we get from a President Donald Trump and the possibilities of him working with the governors across the nation so that we will have a plan that is in sync with one another," Gov. Bryant stated.
Not all state lawmakers agree with Trump’s Infrastructure Plan that relies heavily on tax credits from private-sector companies to finance projects. In doing so, private-sector companies make it easier to generate a positive return on investments as it becomes cheaper for companies to participate, which does not increase government debt levels.
Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Willie Simmons, Democratic Cleveland, told the Jackson Free Press in December, "It's better [for Mississippi to act first] because if he [Trump] does one or brings [a plan] forward, it will address some of the issues for the nation, but it won't be the savior for Mississippi."
Photo Credits: Brandon Harrison, HubCity TV Reporter. The gap on the overpass above I-59 on Hardy Street in West Hattiesburg.
In Hattiesburg, HubCity TV reporter Brandon Harrison assessed the gap on the overpass above Interstate 59 on Hardy Street.
Photo Credits: Brandon Harrison, HubCity TV Reporter. Camille Soulier, Hattiesburg resident.
“I couldn’t tell you how long it’s been there, other than the ‘bah-boom’ when you go over it,” comments Hattiesburg resident Camille Soulier.
While Soulier trusts the Mississippi Department of Transportation will take care of the gap, she suspects, “I think there’s more things they should be aware of than the expansion bridge.”
Soulier does not reveal any other roads or bridges in the Pine Belt area in need of immediate inspection, continuing, “We’re not going to fall in the river, or anything like the Mississippi River Bridge when someone didn’t inspect it. So as long as they inspect our bridges and inspect our roads in a timely manner, we’ll be all right.”
As the District Bridge Inspection Engineer for the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT), Paul Purvis assures the gap is “more of a maintenance issue than a structural issue.”
Photo Credits: Brandon Harrison, HubCity TV Reporter. Paul Purvis, district bridge inspection engineer for MDOT in Hattiesburg.
Furthermore, Purvis says half a million dollars has been set aside to fix the gap, along with around 20 other bridges in the state.
“We have a maintenance program for our bridges, where we set aside $500,000 each fiscal year to take care of maintenance and systematic issues. This takes care of about 20 bridges just like this that need either joint material replaced or repaired,” Purvis informs.
Since I-59 is a major thoroughfare in the Pine Belt area, repairs will take place overnight to avoid further traffic congestion.
Purvis states, “Due to the traffic amount we have on that bridge, we will close one bridge at a time in each direction, and it’ll only be between 9 or 10 p.m. to 5 or 6 a.m.”
MDOT is set to repair the gap on I-59 within the next few months.
Civil engineers warn underinvested roads and highways not only hinders Mississippi’s economy but increases the cost and risks of an aging infrastructure.
