Infrastructure Management Reflections on America’s Infrastructure Rating

The 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure was published by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

The 2013 Report Card has its own website that provides a wide range of analysis.

The site is well worth visiting if you want to gain an understanding of the problems and issues associated with America’s infrastructure.

The headline figure is the Grade Point Average (GPA) is D+ and the estimated investment needed by 2020 is USD $3.6 Trillion.

The 2013 Report Card provides documentation of the problems and lists a range of potential solutions for each asset class.

It is clear from the 2013 Report Card, and from private discussions with US colleagues, that sustainable long-term funding for infrastructure remains problematic within the US political discourse.  

The fact the USA is just recovering from a long recession also makes it difficult to make the case for additional infrastructure funding.

The development of infrastructure asset management planning will help with this on-going discussion.

Across the USA, and across different asset classes asset management planning is beginning to be implemented.  

This allows for a much better determination of long-term operations, maintenance, asset rehabilitation and renewal, and new capital needs.

The risks associated with various funding scenarios can be developed and reported to decision-makers.

In turn, this allows a more informed political discussion on long term sustainable funding requirements.

With the 2013 Report Card, the ASCE is providing sector leadership in raising the issues that need to be debated around US infrastructure.  The entire report is well worth digging into and reading.

The Executive Summary of the 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure provides a good overview and well worth a few minutes of your time to read.