WASHINGTON, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- The American Society of Civil Engineers have a given a grade of "D" to the United States' infrastructure, which they say is in poor condition.
In a report released Wednesday entitled The 2009 Report Card for America's Infrastructure, the professional engineer group said years of neglect have piled up to produce a need for $2.2 trillion in repairs.
The ASCE said that since its last assessment in 2005, "there has been little change in the condition of America's roads, bridges, drinking water systems, and other public works." The group said it's hoping to offer guidance "as nation's infrastructure (is) receiving renewed attention from the White House, Congress, and the public as a vital part of an economic stimulus package."
The engineers gave its lowest grades, D-minuses, to U.S. drinking water, inland waterway, levees, roads and wastewater infrastructures.
The group noted that Americans spend an estimated 4.2 billion hours each year stuck in traffic, many of them trapped on the 45 percent of major urban highways that are considered chronically congested.
