Cost to fix the US Infrastructure? 2.2 Trillion

[General Zod]

According to engineers' estimates.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- America's civil engineers think the nation's aging and rusty infrastructure is just not making the grade.

The engineers' report card gives U.S. infrastructure a cumulative grade of D.

The American Society of Civil Engineers issued an infrastructure report card Wednesday giving a bleak cumulative ranking of D.

"We've been talking about this for many many years," Patrick Natale, the group's executive director, told CNN.

"We really haven't had the leadership or will to take action on it. The bottom line is that a failing infrastructure cannot support a thriving economy." Video Watch what the report had to say »

The ranking -- which grades the condition of 15 infrastructure entities such as roads, bridges and dams -- is the same as the the last time such a report was issued, in 2005. In 2001, the grade was D+, slightly better but still poor.

Roads got a D-, with Americans spending more than $4.2 billion a year stuck in traffic. "Poor conditions cost motorists $67 billion a year in repairs and operating costs. One-third of America's major roads are in poor or mediocre condition and 45 percent of major urban highways are congested," the engineers' report said.

Drinking water, D-. "America's drinking water systems face an annual shortfall of at least $11 billion to replace aging facilities," the report said. "Leaking pipes lose an estimated seven billion gallons of clean drinking water a day."

Inland waterways, D-. "The average age of all federally owned or operated locks is nearly 60 years, well past their planned design life of 50 years. The cost to replace the present system of locks is estimated at more than $125 billion."

Wastewater systems, D-. "Aging systems discharge billions of gallons of untreated wastewater into U.S. surface waters each year."

Levees, D-. Many levees are locally owned and maintained, but they are aging and their "reliability" is not known. "With an increase in development behind these levees, the risk to public health and safety from failure has increased."

Solid waste got the highest grade at C+ because of success in recycling. "More than a third was recycled or recovered, presenting a 7 percent increase since 2000."

Bridges get a C. One in four of the country's bridges "are either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete." The report cites progress in reducing such structures in rural areas but the problem is increasing in urban areas.

Rail gets a C-, with the report noting that a "freight train is three times as fuel efficient as a truck, and traveling by passenger rail uses 20 percent less energy per mile than traveling by car."

A C-minus was also given to public parks and recreation, with parks, beaches and other facilities generating jobs, income, and cleaner air and water.

The national power grid received a D+. "Progress has been made in grid reinforcement since 2005 and substantial investment in generation, transmission and distribution is expected over the next two decades."

The other categories -- aviation, dams, hazardous waste, schools and transit -- each received a D.

The group estimates that the government and the private sector need to invest $2.2 trillion over five years, roughly three times the size of President Obama's stimulus package.

Natale says there's been a mentality in the United States of short-term fixes and hoping that they work -- "patch and pray," as he puts it.

"By underinvesting, the price tag escalates," Natale said.

Someone remind me, how much did the Iraq war cost us again?

[Stark]

When they say 'over five years', is that the time over which projects are starting? Infrastructure development/overhaul in AU appears to take far, far longer than this, but if you put more people on the job it WOULD be faster.

[Admiral Valdemar]

On top of the four trillion to sort the banks out and kickstart the economy (not guaranteed to work at all) and the twenty-six trillion needed to maintain oil supplies (not expand them to accompany a new major growth phase), it would seem to me the US has no limits on how much it can spend.

[Illuminatus Primus]

On top of the four trillion to sort the banks out and kickstart the economy (not guaranteed to work at all) and the twenty-six trillion needed to maintain oil supplies (not expand them to accompany a new major growth phase), it would seem to me the US has no limits on how much it can spend.

It'd be nice if you ever cited your sources or provided analysis as opposed to "woe is me" pithy remarks on the downfall of civilization. Then maybe someone might be able to rate the truth-value and urgency of your comments.

[Admiral Valdemar]

Unfortunately I can't right now, not having access to a full PC, but you have my permission to continue being a jackass while you get acquainted with Google.

[Illuminatus Primus]

Unfortunately I can't right now, not having access to a full PC, but you have my permission to continue being a jackass while you get acquainted with Google.

Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know board policy included me being obligated to having to Googlewarrior around the laziness that subsidizes your cries for attention. Here I thought that virtues here included support and argument for claims, and as a Moderator you're expected to lead by example.

[Admiral Valdemar]

Now my phone's connection is working a tad better and I can browse other sites...

IEA warns of major supply crunch without massive investment.

Obama's plan to be bigger than the TARP. Much bigger.

So, with all this, does anyone have any reservations about recovery?

EDIT: don't be a jackass, IP, take a day off. So I'm not allowed to post without backing up everything when physically unable to access the wider web at the time? Sorry, I don't recall that rule. Typing anything up this way is NOT fast or easy, nor is finding and copying links.

EDIT 2: Apologies for snark, people have been getting to me as of late. My PS3 is up and running now I'm back. Should be able to dig up better articles now.

[Illuminatus Primus]

Thank you. Well at least the $26 trillion doesn't have to be completely ponied up by the U.S. in particular, and governments in general, or all at once. Well I'll quote Kunstler on late-era suburban housing expansion: "The worst misallocation of resources in history."

[Ender]

Isn't 2.2 trillion a step down from earlier assessments? Is this actually good news for once?

[CmdrWilkens]

Isn't 2.2 trillion a step down from earlier assessments? Is this actually good news for once?

Not sure but I do know that the number they are talkign abotu is for defered and needed maintenance only with not a penny towards new infrastrucutre. In other words it woudl cost at least $2.2T in order to fix everything we currently have broken even before we consider adding extra roads, bridges, dams, rails, parks or water treatement plants.