Saturday, August 3, 2013

US Infrastructure Is A Disaster

  • 1 in 9 of the country's bridges are rated as structurally deficient, meaning they require significant maintenance, rehabilitation, or replacement. 
  • Of the 84,000 dams in the U.S., 14,000 are considered "high hazard" and 4,000 are deficient. It would cost $21 billion to repair these aging dams.
  • 42% of the country's major urban highways are considered congested, and 32% of major roads in the U.S. are in poor or mediocre condition.
  • Even though a third of Americans don't drive cars, 45% of households lack access to transit. 
  • There are 240,000 water main breaks in the U.S. each year, and many water mains and pipes are over 100 years old.
  • The Federal Aviation Administration anticipates that the national cost of airport congestion and delays will nearly double from $34 billion in 2020 to $63 billion in 2040.
  • 90% of locks and dams experienced an unscheduled delay or service interruption in 2009. Barges being stopped for hours can prolong transport of goods and drive up prices.
  • Congestion on rail lines is costing the U.S. economy about $200 billion a year, or 1.6% of economic output.
  • Although public school enrollment is gradually increasing, national spending on school construction declined to $10 billion in 2012, about half of what was spent before the recession.
  • National Park Service facilities saw 279 million visits in 2011 and has a deferred maintenance backlog of $11 billion.
10 Signs That US Infrastructure Is A Disaster

No comments: