The 2005 Report Card on America’s crumbling infrastructure, by the American Society of Civil Engineers, shines a spotlight on the problems politicians are beginning to look at with renewed focus, primarily because of the devastating tragedy of the infrastructure failure in New Orleans which caused major economic damage, and the almost 50% reduction in its population as residents, flooded out by Katrina, fled to other states, many never to return.
Here is an excerpt.
“Congested highways, overflowing sewers and corroding bridges are constant reminders of the looming crisis that jeopardizes our nation's prosperity and our quality of life. With new grades for the first time since 2001, our nation's infrastructure has shown little to no improvement since receiving a collective D+ in 2001, with some areas sliding toward failing grades. The American Society of Civil Engineers' 2005 Report Card for America's Infrastructure assessed the same 12 infrastructure categories as in 2001, and added three new categories. Access the complete Report Card with details on each infrastructure category and state infrastructure information.”
And here is an excerpt from the Public Parks and Recreation Report Section of the Report Card concerning California:
“California's Department of Boating and Waterways recently determined that statewide, boating contributed approximately $16.5 billion to the Gross State Product annually. In addition, boating contributed $1.6 billion in state and local taxes annually. There were 8,500 boating related businesses in the state that provided more than 284,000 jobs to the economy.” Public Parks & Recreation Report
