The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has warned about the country’s infrastructure for more than two decades. Their most recent grade from the professional body for transportation infrastructure is a D-, and hazardous waste is a D+.
The poor state of the country’s infrastructure, from bridges, dams, roads, and electric grid, had the average American family paying $3300 a year, whether they know it or not.
Dams, bridges, highways collapsing, and train derailments are becoming common as extreme events intensify.
The National Geographic article says these existing infrastructures were built and designed for the past, not the present climate. For instance, today’s water system is designed to filter yesterday’s toxins and waste and struggles to cope with the volume of waste in a world of increasing demands. This results in boil orders, water main breaks, and sewer overflows as water treatment plants function over their capacity.
U.S. coastlines also contain facilities storing toxic oils and chemicals that, during extreme weather events, can breach and spill into the environment. An example of a hazardous spill happened in 2017 when Hurricane Harvey damaged a temporary protective cap on a pit of toxic sludge along the San Jacinto River east of Houston.
According to The Texas Tribune, rains from the hurricane damaged the earthen cap on a pit of toxic sludge along the San Jacinto River east of Houston dumped by the paper mills since 1965 but has installed a temporary cap to contain the carcinogenic laced waste since 2011.
In 2017, heavy rains from Hurricane Harvey damaged the cap and exposed hazardous waste material. To prevent the spill, the EPA has directed companies responsible for the waste to conduct sampling in several river areas to know the extent of contamination.
Another example of extreme events that have wreaked havoc on infrastructures with cascading consequences to the residents and economy is Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which caused the collapse of levees, inundating 80% of New Orleans and killing hundreds. Superstorm Sandy in 2012 also severely affected New York City, flooding its streets, tunnels, and subways and cutting power in and around the city.
Aside from the high risk of extreme events on infrastructure that can lead to cascading consequences, aging infrastructure is another problem the country faces.
According to a National Geographic article, of the U.S.’s 617,000 bridges – those that cross over bodies of water and highway overpasses, 10% are “significantly compromised,” yet the country only spends around 1.5-2.5% of its GDP on infrastructure. This figure is proportionately less than half of what the European Union spends.
The article notes that many bridges have 30-50 years of useful life; however, nearly half are at least 50 years old, while the average ages of their levees and dams are 50 and 57, respectively.
The article presents examples of recent bridge failures that have serious consequences. One was the I-35W bridge collapse in Minnesota in 2007, which killed 13 people and injured 145. The other was the closure of the six-lane bridge over the Mississippi in 2021 due to an overlooked crack. The 3-month closure has disrupted interstate travel and shipping.
Neglectful inspection of infrastructures can also trigger disastrous events. According to the article, the under-inspection of Michigan’s Edenville dam has flooded the region and destroyed thousands of homes in 2020.
With regards to their dams, there are now 15,000 that are considered of high hazard potential due to their age; many were built during or before WWII and have been neglected since then.
New technology can present solutions to help solve infrastructure issues. For instance, drones can replace human inspections, which can be especially helpful in hazardous inspections. Drones can also reduce human mistakes. The article notes that computer modelling can also predict the weak points in infrastructure, which are more susceptible to failure.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress in 2021, which will invest $1.2 trillion over five years in America’s ailing infrastructure, is a welcome infusion of funds that, for decades, past U.S. presidents have acknowledged the country poorly needs.
The article says that to keep up with the massive task of maintaining the country’s equally massive and numerous infrastructure; the funds must be renewed regularly.
Source:
Greenberg, A. (2023, July 18). Here’s what worries engineers the most about U.S. infrastructure. National Geographic. Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/most-dangerous-infrastructure-problems
Collier, K. (2017, September 29). EPA: Hurricane Harvey compromised cap on toxic waste site. The Texas Tribune. Retrieved from https://www.texastribune.org/2017/09/29/epa-hurricane-harvey-compromised-caps-toxic-waste-site/
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