March 2009
US infrastructure on shaky ground America’s roads, dams, bridges, schools are in dire straits, according to a report by the American Society of Civil Engineers, which assigned an overall ‘d’ grade to the nation’s infrastructure
By Raman Jokhakar, Tarunkumar Singhal, Chartered Accountants
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48 US infrastructure on shaky ground
America’s roads, dams, bridges, schools are in dire straits, according to a
report by the American Society of Civil Engineers, which assigned an overall ‘d’
grade to the nation’s infrastructure
America’s roads, public transit and aviation have gotten
worse in the past four years. Water and sewage systems are dreadful. The basic
physical backbone of American society is barely above failing, a report by top
engineers says. It’ll cost $ 2.2 trillion to fix America’s ailing
infrastructure, according to highlights of a report being released early, just
as the House of Representatives readies its first vote on President Barack
Obama’s call for a massive economic stimulus spending package. The country’s
roads, dumps, dams, bridges, schools and rail systems need lots of that money,
say the engineers, who would get a piece of the pie in working on the repairs.
Government officials are already aiming billions of dollars at those physical
needs as part of a $ 825 billion economic stimulus package. But the engineers
say that’s not enough. Overall, the American Society of Civil Engineers gives
the US physical backbone for everything from schools and parks to dams and
levees a D. That’s the same overall grade as the last time the group gave a
report, in 2005, but it really is slipping from a ‘high D’ to a ‘low D’, said
report chairman Andrew Herrmann.
(Source : The Times of India, 29-1-2009)
