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US Infrastructure Gets Another Near-Failing Grade From Engineer Society

Scores in the Infrastructure Report Card ranged from a B for rail to a D- for transit

Airports and roads are clogged, bridges are reaching old age and dams are getting more hazardous across the United States, says the American Society of Civil Engineers, as it issued American infrastructure a grade of D+ in its quadrennial report card Thursday.

"Deteriorating infrastructure is impeding our ability to compete in the thriving global economy, and improvements are necessary to ensure our country is built for the future," the report card said.

The report card was released with infrastructure in the public eye, weeks after a Northern California dam's damaged spillways prompted the evacuation of thousands and with President Donald Trump promising a $1 trillion investment in infrastructure.

The engineering group says the U.S. needs twice that amount, and recommends Congress invest $206 billion more in infrastructure each year to raise the grade.

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The D+ remains the same as it was four years ago, though the engineers say some small progress has been made since. No category got an A grade, and most received Ds. The B issued to rail was the highest grade, and transit's D- was the lowest.

The costs of the infrastrucutre gap are high, according to the report card: $3,400 in disposable income for each American family each year.

"In infrastructure, you get what you pay for and for decades we haven't been paying nearly enough. It shows in the grades," said Norma Jean Mattei, president of the American Society of Civil Engineers, in a letter accompanying the report.

Read the full report here.

The dangers of failing infrastructure got an up-close look in February when the back-up spillway at the Oroville Dam, the tallest in the nation, neared failure. Nearly 200,000 people in the community down-river were evacuated over the risk of uncontrolled flood waters, and state and national emergencies were declared.

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The report card gives American dams a D, with more than 2,100 dams with high-hazard potential found to be deficient, and $45 billion needed to repair aging dams with high-hazard potential.

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Bridges fared better than most, with a C+ that's in a three-way tie for second-best grade among the 16 categories. 

Many bridges are reaching the end of their operational lifespans — nearly four in 10 were built at least 50 years ago — and the engineers argue that the motor fuels tax needs to be increased in order to adequately fund bridges in the future.

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