
On March 2, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released its annual Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. Roads received a ‘D’ grade. The U.S. has been underfunding its roadway system for years, resulting in a $786 billion backlog of road and bridge capital needs. The bulk of the backlog ($435 billion) is in repairing existing roads, while $125 billion is needed for bridge repair, $120 billion for system expansion, and $105 billion for system enhancement (including safety enhancements, operational improvements, and environmental projects). The report documents that federal, state, and local governments spent only $177 billion on roads and bridges in 2017, with an increasing focus on operations and maintenance needs.
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