ASCE 2013 Report Card for America's Infrastructure

In 2013 America's infrastructure received a D+ which has been upgraded from four years ago when the infrastructure received a D.

Here is a quick break down:

Water and Environment

• Drinking Water: The grade for drinking water improved slightly to a D.
• Hazardous Waste: The grade for hazardous waste remained unchanged at a D.
• Levees: Levees again earned a near failing grade of D- in 2013. 
• Solid Waste: The grade for solid waste improved in 2013, and it earned the highest grade of B-.
• Wastewater: The grade for wastewater improved slightly to a D.

Transportation

• Aviation: Aviation again earned a D.
• Bridges: With the overall number of structurally deficient bridges continuing to trend downward, the grade improved to C+.
• Inland Waterways: Inland waterways received a D- grade once again as conditions remain poor and investment levels remain stagnant.
• Ports: This new category for 2013 debuted with a grade of C. 
• Rail: With high ridership and greater investment in the system, the grade for rail saw the largest improvement, moving up to a C+ in 2013.
• Roads: Targeted efforts to improve conditions and significant reductions in highway fatalities resulted in a slight improvement in the roads grade to a D this year.
• Transit: The grade for transit remained at a D as transit agencies struggled to balance increasing ridership with declining funding.

Public Facilities

• Public Parks and Recreation: The grade for parks remained unchanged at a C-.
• Schools: Schools received a D again this year.

Energy

• Energy: The grade for energy remained a D+.

For the full report see the ASCE Report Card site which breaks down into each state and category.

Here is there note about my states bridge (Massachusetts)

MassDOT is responsible for the inspection and rating of over 5,000 bridges throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Approximately 10% of these structures are classified as Structurally Deficient and require either major rehabilitation or replacement. Since the establishment of the $3 billion Accelerated Bridge Program in 2008, MassDOT has focused on replacing or repairing over 200 bridges and has already succeeded in reducing the number of Structurally Deficient bridges at a time when most states have been experiencing increases. MassDOT has accomplished this by implementing progressive construction techniques including utilizing prefabricated bridge elements (such as the Fast-Fourteen Bridge Project on I-93 in Medford) and utilizing self-propelled modular transporters (such as the Route 2/2A project in Phillipston). These innovative techniques reduced the construction duration and thereby limited the inconvenience to drivers. In order to maintain the progress made by the Accelerated Bridge Program, continued funding for the program—which is expected to expire in 2016—is needed. Without this funding, the number of Structurally Deficient bridges will again escalate, impacting safety, resulting in more expensive remedial repairs, and impacting vital transportation links that serve the Commonwealth.

Cantilevered Warren through Truss Bridge (riveted)

A few weeks ago I traveled to Kentucky for an inspection of a riveted Cantilevered Warren through truss bridge. The truss was built in 1930 and rehabilitated in 1986. The bridge is in good condition and I was surprised since I am use to the corrosion in New England.

The bridge has a total length of 2,277.3 feet with the main span over the Ohio River spanning 738.7 feet. The deck has a width of 22 feet and carries 12th Street one way traffic southbound.

It was my first experience with news crews being interested in an inspection, sure enough we made it onto the new that evening with video of our lane closure before we asked them to kindly leave our traffic pattern.

Using limited equipment the majority of the inspection was done using rope access or free climbing. The vertical members were inspected by rope with drops up to 115 feet. The top chord was inspected using a simple flip line and always remaining 100% tied off. The chord consists of built up riveted members and eye bars with pinned connections.

Besides areas of minor corrosion and minor impact damage the most sever deficiencies were areas of pack rust between gusset plates and pins.