Report: Va. infrastructure ‘sliding toward failure’

Virginia’s barely adequate infrastructure needs comprehensive planning and reliable funding to remedy years of neglect, according to a state engineers group.

The condition of Virginia’s public infrastructure rates only a D-plus, the Virginia Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers said in a report card analysis.

“Despite the important role infrastructure plays in our daily lives,“ the report said, “Virginia’s roads, water systems, schools and other critical foundations are underfunded, and in many cases, sliding toward failure.“

The report’s grades ranged from a high of B-minus for Virginia’s parks and recreation facilities to a low of D-minus for dams, roads and schools.

“We can keep on ignoring this stuff, but the cost to fix it once it fails is 10 times the cost to maintain it along the way,“ said Thomas L. Fitzgerald, the group’s president. “The big challenge is a sustainable funding source.“

The Virginia engineers did not say how much it would cost to return to acceptable levels of service, though estimates for drinking water systems, dams and roadways alone ran to more than $6.5 billion. The state is receiving more than $1 billion in federal stimulus funds for infrastructure improvements.

Virginia rated slightly better than the U.S. average. Nationally, engineers who design and build public-works projects gave America’s infrastructure an overall grade of D. They called for a five-year investment of $2.2 trillion to help fix the deficiencies.

“Commuters are losing hours each day to gridlock,“ Fitzgerald said. “The pipes that carry drinking water into our homes are aging, overused and in some cases, contaminated, and our children’s classrooms are becoming increasingly crowded.“

“Robust infrastructure is a vital component of the health of the state’s economy and its ability to attract business and industry,“ Fitzgerald said. “Even more importantly, it is also vital to supporting and protecting the health and safety of Virginians.“

The group based its ratings on infrastructure condition, growth capacity, funding, safety, reliability, and service level.

Virginia’s dams received the barely passing grade because many do not meet new safety regulations enacted in 2008.

Traffic congestion is choking major urban areas across the state, the report said. By 2025, Virginia’s road needs could exceed $203 billion, though investment is expected to total only $95 billion. Yesterday, the state awarded $35 million in federal stimulus contracts to repair 119 deficient bridges.

Schools face an increasing population but declining revenues, leaving Virginia students to study in aging buildings and temporary trailer classrooms, the study said.
The Report Card on Virginia’s Infrastructure, the engineer group’s first, graded 13 categories of public works: aviation facilities, bridges, dams, drinking water systems, energy, parks and recreation, ports and navigable waterways, rail and transit, roads, schools, solid waste disposal facilities, stormwater management, and wastewater.