ASCE Report Card Analysis

In 2013, American Society for Civil Engineers rated the infrastructure of America on an A-F grading scale.  As a whole, American infrastructure got a D+. Roads only received a D.  On their rating scale, D is equivalent to poor.  Some of the problems with America’s roads is congestion, deficient pavement, cost maintenance, and fuel waste. 

            Almost 32% of American roads are in poor or mediocre condition.  Not only does this cost various governmental bodies a lot of money, but it also costs motorist about $67 billion a yea

r for car maintenance and operating costs.  Another study shows that about 42% of urban highways are congested which leads to billions of gallons of gasoline being wasted.  Between the next twenty years it’s going to cost approximately $101 billion a year just to maintain the roads.  In order to actually improve the roads it would cost $170 billion a year.  Currently, America is only spending $91 billion dollars a year, which is causing roads to deteriorate at an alarming rate.  The poor conditions of roads also cause approximately one-third of all U.S traffic fatalities. 

            The American Society for Civil Engineers suggests several solutions that are currently working to improve roads: these solutions include developing performance-based i

nvestment strategies, optimizing usage of existing highway capacity, encouraging the use of asset management programs, using freight movement efficiency, increasing investment from all levels of government and the private sector, ensuring the sustained sufficiency and reliability of the highway trust fund, and continuing the highway safety improvement program successes.  Although these are good solutions, current investment trends are not improving roadway conditions.  With each year, the economic cost of this maintenance is increasing.  The collaboration of governmental bodies, the private sector, and tax payers is necessary for road quality to increase. [1][2]