ASCE: $1.6 Trillion Needed for Public Works

The condition of the nation's roads, bridges, drinking water systems and other public works have shown little to no improvement since they were graded an overall D+ in 2001, with some areas sliding toward failing grades.

The Washington, D.C.-based American Society of Civil Engineers released its 2005 Report Card for America's Infrastructure - assigning a cumulative grade of D for the nation's infrastructure.

ASCE estimates an investment of $1.6 trillion over a five-year period from all levels of government and the private sector is needed to remedy America's current and looming problems. This amount does not include estimates for infrastructure security needs.

The 2005 Report Card for America's Infrastructure assesses the same 12 infrastructure categories as in 2001, in addition to three new categories public parks and recreation, rail and security.

While there has been some improvement in aviation and schools, ASCE's analysis indicates that overall conditions have remained the same for bridges, dams and solid waste, and worsened in roads, drinking water, transit, wastewater, hazard waste, navigable waterways and energy.

Grades range from a high of C+ for solid waste to a low of D- for drinking water, navigable waterways and wastewater.

Both drinking water and wastewater declined from a D to a D- in the past four years. Navigable waterways also received a D-, compared to a D+ in 2001.

In transportation, two categories have worsened - roads from D+ to D and transit from C- to D+. The other two areas in decline are energy and hazardous waste, both from a D+ to D.

For three categories - bridges, dams and solid waste - the grades remained the same as in 2001. Bridges received a C grade, and dams remained a D. As in 2001 solid waste is again rated a C+.

Only two categories improved slightly - aviation, given a D+ from a D, and schools, rated a D compared to a D- in 2001.

The other new categories rail and public parks and recreation both received a C- grade.

A council of 24 civil engineers assessed the report. Each category was evaluated on the basis of condition and performance as reported by federal sources; capacity versus need; and current and pending investment of state, local and federal funding versus need.

The entire report card can be viewed at www.asce.org/reportcard.

Millennium Park Gets National, Local Honors

Chicago's Millennium Park has received the Grand Award from the Washington, D.C.-based American Council of Engineering Cos. in its annual engineering competition.

The project is one of 24 to be honored. There were a total of 180 entries.

In addition, Chicago-based McDonough Associates received the Eminent Conceptor award for the project from the Illinois Chapter of the ACEC. The honor is the highest in 34th Annual Engineering Excellence Awards Competition.

McDonough and a team of consultants were responsible for an initial study and development of alternatives and preparation of engineering services for the 24.5-acre park.

Besides Millennium, 11 projects were presented with Honor Awards, 10 received Special Achievement Awards and 22 were recognized with Merit Awards. The list of winners can be seen at www.acec-il.org on the Internet.

In other news, the ACEC recognized four members for their community service.

Robert Benton, chairman of Jacksonville-based Benton & Associates, received the Community Leader Award for demonstrating the "highest level of commitment" to community service.

Receiving Community Service Awards were David Oates, president of Collinsville-based Oates Associates, Larry Pithan, senior vice president of Rock Island-based KJWW Engineering Consultants, and Mike Goodkind, president of Chicago-based Alfred Benesch & Co.

Report Analyzes Building Collapses

A recent report provides an engineering review of the structural performance of major multi-story building collapses in the United States due to the extreme exposures to blast, impact and fire.

The report, "Comparison of Structural Performance of Multi-Story Buildings Under Extreme Events," focuses on four events.

They comprise the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center towers in New York, the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City and the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center towers in New York and Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

Copies of the 60-page document can be downloaded free from the Web site of the Chicago-based American Institute of Steel Construction Inc. by visiting www.aisc.org/pubs and clicking on Other Resources.

The report is by Nestor Iwankiw of Houston-based Hughes Associates and Larry Griffis of Walter P. Moore & Associates, also of Houston.