The American Society of Civil Engineers is out with its quadrennial report card for Louisiana’s infrastructure. Grading ten metrics, it gives Louisiana an overall grade of a C-, which is just below the national grade of a C. Report Card Chairman Kirk Lowery says Louisiana’s bridges got a D+.
“More than 11% of the states’ bridges are in poor condition, nearly double the national average. We face a funding gap of more than $9 billion for maintenance and capital improvements,” Lowery said.
Lowery says Louisiana’s lowest grades were Ds in roads and in drinking water.
“Our drinking water systems have been neglected for decades, as most of these networks were built before 1960. And it seems like these systems throughout our state are only addressed if something fails,” Lowery said.
Lowery says Louisiana’s coastal grade was a C-. He says while the state has done more than 140 projects that have protected 2 million residents living near the coast, there’s a lot more work that needs to be done and not a lot of money to pay for it.
“There are still millions of acres that require restoration. And future funding is uncertain due to the expiration of the deep-water horizon settlement funds in 2031,” Lowery explained.
Louisiana’s best grades were C+’s in aviation and solid waste.
