3/10/2017, WBAY Green Bay (Video) – A national engineering Group has released a report card for the nation’s infrastructure, and the grade is a D+.
The American Society of Civil Engineers puts out the report card every four years. It looks at roads, bridges, and water supply.
The group’s president tells Action 2 News that Wisconsin’s infrastructure needs work.
“You have 17.3 percent of your bridges are structurally deficient. And that is over double what the national average is,” says Norma Jean Mattei, President, American Society of Civil Engineers.
The ASCE says more than a quarter of Wisconsin roads are in poor condition. That costs the average Wisconsin driver almost $640 a year in car repairs, according to the group.
“That is well above the national average of $533 a year,” Mattei says.
ASCE says if we don’t invest in infrastructure, it could cause problems down the line.
“We rely on it for quality of life. It’s important for the nation because poor infrastructure costs our GDP,” Mattei says. “So if we continue to not invest in infrastructure, it’s going to cost us over the next 10 years 2-and-a-half million jobs.”
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has come under fire recently after an audit showed the DOT is wrought with cost overruns and delays.
Lawmakers will need to decide how to fund infrastructure projects in the state budget.