One of President Donald Trump\u2019s first promises after getting elected was to spend $1 trillion on infrastructure\u2014bridges, roads, tunnels, pipes, dams. And whether you\u2019ve had to evacuate a town in the shadow of a crumbling dam, buy filters for tainted municipal water, or even just bounced over potholes on a highway, you\u2019ve experienced the problems the president alluded to.<\/p>\n
Well, it really is as bad as you think. The American Society of Civil Engineers has just released its latest infrastructure report card, and grades the United States at D plus. That means the country\u2019s public works are in substandard condition, with a risk of failure. The ASCE releases its reports every four years, and the mark hasn\u2019t changed since the last time. \u201cWhile our nation\u2019s infrastructure problems are significant, they are solvable,\u201d says ASCE President Norma Jean Mattei. But that\u2019ll take money.<\/p>\n
So \u2026 $1 trillion, right? Great news! Except the ASCE report says it\u2019ll take $4.59 trillion to bring things up to a B, or adequate grade, by 2025. That\u2019s a shortfall of $2 trillion over current spending plans. Again: $1 trillion is nowhere near enough.<\/p>\n