Engineers’ report card gives U.S. waterway infrastructure “D-“

Engineers’ report card gives U.S. waterway infrastructure “D-”

Engineers’ report card gives U.S. waterway infrastructure “D-“

   The American Society of Civil Engineers gave the U.S. inland waterway transportation system a “D-” in its 2005 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, released Wednesday.

   This grade is down from a “D+” issued by the society in 2001.

   “Of the 257 locks on the more than 12,000 miles of inland waterways operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, nearly 50 percent are functionally obsolete,” the society warned in a statement. “By 2020, the number will increase to 80 percent.”

   The society said inland waterways are an efficient way to transport large volumes of bulk commodities at fraction of the cost of rail and trucks. “The poor condition of these systems threatens commercial traffic that affects our nation’s economy,” the society said.