PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Pennsylvania earned an overall C-minus for infrastructure in the latest report card issued by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Statewide transit received a “D,” which did not seem to surprise SEPTA’s general manager.
The report grades Pennsylvania’s infrastructure in 15 areas, from aviation to wastewater:
— Aviation: B-
— Bridges: D+
— Dams: C
— Drinking Water: D
— Energy: C
— Hazardous Waste: B-
— Levees: C
— Ports: C+
— Public Parks: C+
— Rail: C
— Roads: C-
— Solid Waste: C+
— Stormwater: D
— Transit: D
— Wastewater: D-
Bob Wright, a past president of the ASCE’s Philadelphia section, said transit got a “D” grade because federal investment has slowed in recent years.
“They promised transportation funding, and it never happened,” said Wright. “So the current administration had to get it, but we lost five years in the process.”
Read the full report here.
At a news conference at Jefferson Station in Center City, SEPTA General Manager Leslie Richards said the “D” grade is realistic, as SEPTA lags behind other metro areas in transit spending.
“Over the last decade, peer regions have invested an average of 75% more in transit than we have invested here in Southeastern Pennsylvania,” Richards told reporters.
She said, through the federal infrastructure law, billions of dollars in competitive grants are available. However, local matching funds are necessary to show the feds a project is worth the investment.
“Nothing tells them more about the excitement and the will to get a good project done than the local match,” said Richards.
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