Comments on: Will Our Infrastructure Ever Make Honor Roll?

By: Moving forward on infrastructure: Taylor Anderson, PE

Moving forward on infrastructure: Taylor Anderson, PE — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:27:56 +0000

[...] Matt Barcus at CivilEngineeringCentral.com wonders, will our infrastructure every make honor roll? He chronicles ASCE’s grades on the nation’s infrastructure over the past 20 plus [...]

By: Electric Cylinder

Electric Cylinder — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 09:48:15 +0000

Construction of such projects requires knowledge of engineering and management principles and business procedures, economics, and human behavior.

By: Christian Cooper

Christian Cooper — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 17:04:17 +0000

Over the years I have come to question the true meaning of the ASCE Infrastructure report card. My job requires that I design improvements for old or failing infrastructure 8 to 10 hours per day, 5 to 6 days a week for 50 weeks a year. So in my work life I deal with old or failing infrastructure all the time. But in my every day functioning, I am able to drive to work without falling off the edge of the world, I am able to travel across the US with speed and comfort that was unheard of 50 years ago, and I take a shower every morning in hot water that has radium removed and flouride and chlorine added to it.

I don’t know if we as Engineers place a higher priority in “perfection” than the functioning public does but there does appear to be a big disconnect between the report card and our everyday functioning in regards to our dependence upon the existing infrastructure. I do not believe ASCE intentionally skews the picture. I think ASCE needs to clarify what constitutes the grade of an A, B, C, D or E. More importantly, ASCE needs to defiine how we would function as a society with infrastructure that had a grade of an A, B, or C. What is the premium ($) we are willing to pay in taxes to achieve that level of daily functioning. Apparently we already know how we function as a society with infrastructure that rates a D and we seem satisfied.

By: hintonhumancapital

hintonhumancapital — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 21:32:13 +0000

I agree that the ASCE and its members are outstanding and upright people. It is not their fault our infrastructure is in disarray. I believe our government and regular citizens like you and me are distracted by too many other issues notice our cities are crumbling. A recession is time for spring (infrastructure) cleaning and maintenance as well as jump start the economy.