ASCE Report: COVID-19 impact on infrastructure “dire”

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Already at a crisis point prior to COVID-19, America’s infrastructure faces “dire” new challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new report from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has found.

Released Wednesday, the report found that the pandemic has had an impact on roads and transit systems, but also drinking water systems, inland waterways, energy systems, parks, ports, schools, and wastewater infrastructure.

“Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, our nation’s infrastructure was already in a crisis,” ASCE President K.N. Gunalan said. “Each American household was already losing at least $3,400 each year in disposable income due to poor and outdated roads, bridges, electric grid, water systems and more—systems that are critical to the public’s health, safety and welfare. I encourage Congress to review this report and its solutions, and make infrastructure investment a priority in their immediate response and long-term economic recovery strategy so that we can get Americans back to work and use this opportunity to rebuild more resiliently.”

According to the report, COVID-19 has caused a decrease in commercial water use, as well as lowered the number of drivers on the road and the number of travelers using public transit and airports. Additionally, local and state governments have had to adjust their budgets to account for decreasing income, causing fewer tax dollars being available for parks, schools, and other publicly-owned infrastructure.

The report cited several instances of lost revenue, including:
• An estimated $23.5 billion lost in airport revenue due to a 95 percent decline in domestic air travel;
• Projections that state Departments of Transportation will see a 30 percent decline in revenue in the next 18 months;
• Approximately 17 percent reduction in revenue in the drinking water sector, including more than $5 billion in losses from increased customer delinquencies, coupled with suspension of water service disconnections; and
• Dramatic reduction in people using transit systems, like a 75 percent reduction in riders on the PATH commuter rail system in New Jersey and New York and an 85 percent reduction in Metrorail ridership in Washington, D.C.

To combat this, the report said, Congress should provide billions to the country’s infrastructure investment. Many of the report’s suggestions, such as $10 billion to the nation’s airports, $50 billion to state DOTs to address repairs to roads, bridges and transit systems, a multi-year surface transportation reauthorization that addresses the Highway Trust Fund and $60 million for the High Hazard Potential Dam Rehabilitation Program, were included in H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act.

The report also suggested that Congress address federal drinking water and wastewater systems by providing assistance to ratepayers and providing water utilities with federal relief to combat revenue losses, as well as working to streamline the permitting processes. The report also recommended that Congress include the Rebuild America’s School Infrastructure Act into any future economic relief package.