Poor US infrastructure gets C- from engineers

ANKARA

With Democrats eyeing an infrastructure package to follow on coronavirus relief, a group of civil engineers Wednesday decried the poor state of US infrastructure, graded as mediocre at best.

A report by the American Society of Civil Engineers graded the national infrastructure at C-, up slightly from a D+ grade in 2017.

The grade reflects a "mediocre" condition with "significant deficiencies in conditions and functionality," said the group’s Infrastructure Report Card.

To bring infrastructure to a safe and sustainable level, the engineers called for "big and bold" relief that would cost nearly $6 trillion over the next decade.

"America's infrastructure is not functioning as it should, and families are losing thousands of dollars a year in disposable income as a result of cities having to fix potholes, people getting stuck in traffic or due to repairs when a water line breaks or the energy grid goes down," said Greg DiLoreto, the group’s former head.

"It’s critical we take action now," DiLoreto continued.

He also said that President Joe Biden's administration is now making the subject a "top priority."

Under former President Donald Trump, aborted “infrastructure weeks” became the subject of running jokes, but congressional Democrats have vowed to pass an infrastructure bill close on the heels of a coronavirus relief measure.