Pennsylvania roads, bridges, transit, and other infrastructure systems got an overall grade of C- on the latest American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) infrastructure report card.
ASCE members evaluated the state’s infrastructure and found that some improvements have been made, but overall, they said, the state has a ways to go.
As part of the 2022 Report Card on Pennsylvania’s Infrastructure, ASCE members evaluated various parts of the state’s infrastructure systems for their condition, capacity, operations, maintenance, safety, and resilience.
While aviation and roads saw improvement in their grades, rising to a B- and C- respectively, other categories stayed the same. “Progress is real, but challenges remain,” the report said, noting that the state has some of the oldest infrastructures in the country and that maintenance backlogs weigh down the state’s investments. Since the last report card, legislation support for infrastructure and public agency planning have created tangible improvements in infrastructure assets, ASCE said.
In 2018, ASCE rated Pennsylvania’s aviation infrastructure as a C+. This report card’s B+ grade reflects aviation upgrades, including the implementation of Pittsburgh International Airport’s Terminal Modernization Program, the expansion of cargo facilities, and resiliency projects across the state.
Previously, the roads category received a D+. However, ASCE said this year’s rising grade reflects the state’s completion of nearly 3,800 roadway improvement projects and nearly 3,100 additional efforts outlined in the PennDOT 12-Year Program as of May 2022.
In the most current report, passenger rail and freight rail were combined, and ASCE gave the state a score of C. Previously, in 2018, freight rail received a score of B, while passenger rail received a score of C-. The report found that the state’s Class I rail infrastructure is in good to excellent condition. The 2020 Pennsylvania State Rail Plan will spend $6.9 billion, the report said, on 132 passenger rail projects and 323 freight rail projects. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help the state expand and improve passenger rail services while modernizing the freight rail network and improving its safety, the report found.
The report said that the COVID-19 pandemic changed how people use infrastructure, how it is managed, and what funding is available. ASCE said the report card aims to help educate the public on the status of states’ infrastructures and to help elected officials prioritize the limited funding they have to address infrastructure needs.
To raise the grade, ASCE recommended the state plan and fund infrastructure systems for flexible scheduled and distributed supply chains; implement federal funding and reconsider methods of state and local budgeting; address workforce challenges and renew efforts for all infrastructure systems to become resilient, sustainable, and equitable.