10 Signs That US Infrastructure Is A Disaster {large images alert}

[xchrom]

http://www.businessinsider.com/10-signs-that-us-infrastructure-is-a-disaster-2013-7

The American Society of Civil Engineers released its annual infrastructure report card this week, and the prognosis for the country's roads, bridges, and public facilities isn't good.

America's infrastructure has been in bad shape for years, and things don't seem like they will get better anytime soon. Of the 16 categories ASCE graded, all but one got Cs and Ds.

Below is a list of facts from the report that show just how bad things have gotten:

1 in 9 of the country's bridges are rated as structurally deficient, meaning they require significant maintenance, rehabilitation, or replacement.


Of the 84,000 dams in the U.S., 14,000 are considered "high hazard" and 4,000 are deficient. It would cost $21 billion to repair these aging dams.

crab orchard dam, illinois

42% of the country's major urban highways are considered congested, and 32% of major roads in the U.S. are in poor or mediocre condition.


Even though a third of Americans don't drive cars, 45% of households lack access to transit.

[Ed Suspicious]

1. Maybe private industry will foot the bill for the fixes!

Probably not.

[mindwalker_i]

2. But if we spent money fixing this

There wouldn't be enough left over for defense!

If we fixed our power transmission infrastructure, there wouldn't be enough left over for defense.

If we put money into education so that our workforce could develop the next technologies, there wouldn't be enough left over for defense.

If we paid the pensions that people earned, or the social security that people paid into so they could retire not in poverty, we wouldn't have enough left over for defense.

If we provided food for poor children so they could grow up healthy, pay attention in school, learn stuff and contribute to the economy, including paying taxes, there wouldn't be enough left over for defense.


Anyone who doesn't get the implied sarcasm, punch yourself in the face.