A week after the passage of the $1 trillion federal infrastructure bill, the American Society of Engineers gave the state of Ohio a C- on its annual report card.
"Ohio's civil engineers studied 16 categories of infrastructure," the report stated. "Of those 16, two infrastructure categories are in good condition, seven are in mediocre condition and seven are in poor condition."
This is how Ohio graded in each category
- Bridges: C+
- Dams: C-
- Drinking water: D+
- Energy: C
- Hazardous Waste: D+
- Inland Waterways: D+
- Levees: D
- Parks: C-
- Ports: C
- Rail: B
- Roads: D
- Schools: C+
- Solid Waste: B-
- Stormwater: D+
- Transit: D
- Wastewater: C-
The ASCE recommended several steps to Ohio could take to improve its infrastructure health - among them: Raising taxes on gas and diesel fuel and tying them to inflation; making sure user-generated fees are tied to infrastructure trust funds; encouraging large projects with federal funding to receive life cycle cost analysis and plans for funding the life of the project; and more long term focus by considering emerging technologies when maintaining infrastructure.
Here's the full list of recommendations:
The report stated Ohio's roadways and bridges carry the third highest freight volume in the U.S. and the state is sixth in vehicle miles traveled.
"(This) makes the state an essential tool in the national economy," the report stated. "Continued investment is needed to sustain these volumes, expand the local economy and ensure no sector is left behind."
To read the entire report, visit the Infrastructure Report Card web page.
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