The Commonwealth may need a lesson on how to strengthen its infrastructure. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers , PA earned mostly D’s out of 16 categories. Investing in repairs for bridges is one goal of the State’s Transportation Funding Bill. But it only gets an “A” for effort. According to engineers, bridges barely pass on a report card.
Over 55 experts from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) evaluated 16 infrastructure categories. This includes bridges, drinking water, roads and transit. The grades were developed in A-F report card format. Each category was assigned a grade based on the physical condition and needed fiscal investment for improvement. For bridges, 23% are structurally deficient. This is the highest percentage in the nation. Bridges earned a D+. Roads get a D-, costing nearly 8.8 million drivers over $3 billion a year.
Randall Over is the President of the ASCE. He says, “in Urban areas, traffic congestion costs the average commuter in PA 182 hours of delay, 86 gallons of wasted fuel per year . So imagine not having 4 weeks of vacation and having to pay an extra month of fuel.”
Over says 7 or the 16 categories get a D grade. 6 earn a C and only 3 have a B.
At Wednesday’s report card release, State Senator John Rafferty responded to the assessment. He’s the Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee. He assures the transportation funding bill will continue to improve infrastructure.