Ohio’s Infrastructure Receives A Grade Of C-

The Ohio Council of Local Sections of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) recently released 2009 Ohio Infrastructure Report Card gives that state’s infrastructure a grade of C-.

The report graded the current condition of 10 infrastructure areas that are essential to the state’s economic prosperity and quality of life. Areas graded are aviation, bridges, dams, drinking water, electricity, parks and recreation, railroads, roads, schools, and wastewater.

The ASCE Ohio Council estimates that an investment in infrastructure renewal of more than $46 billion is needed over the next five years to address the state’s crumbling infrastructure.

This assessment of Ohio’s infrastructure follows the January 28, 2009 national release by ASCE of its fourth Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, The 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. This report card, like its predecessors, was designed to provide a grade for the current condition of components of America’s crumbling infrastructure, raise public awareness, stimulate debate, and propose, highlight, and promote solutions. ASCE graded the nation’s overall infrastructure condition as a D and estimated the projected cost for repairing the nation’s infrastructure as $2.2 trillion over the next five years.

ASCE has called for a renewed partnership between citizens; local, state and the federal governments; and the private sector to work together to define the most critical projects and get the support needed for immediate action.

Ohio’s infrastructure grades ranged from a high of B- for bridges to a low of D for roads. The areas of drinking water and wastewater also had low grades of D+. There are reasons for concern and need for investment in all the areas evaluated in the report. A brief summary of the assessment follows.

Aviation infrastructure in Ohio received a grade of C-. Ohio ranks third in the nation with 124 paved and lighted general aviation airports. Only 58 percent of runways, 57 percent of taxiways, and 62 percent of aprons (the area where aircraft are parked, loaded, and unloaded) meet the satisfactory condition index. These percentages are below Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Office of Aviation established goals. Ohio’s commercial service airports are meeting capacity requirements. ODOT has estimated that $9.8 million a year is needed to maintain airports at their existing condition and an additional $117 million is required to provide improvements to meet the state systems goal that 85 percent of runways, 80 percent of taxiways, and 75 percent of aprons have a satisfactory rating.

Bridges in Ohio received a grade of B-. Bridges in Ohio are crucial components of one of the largest transportation systems in the United States. Many bridges in Ohio have reached their expected service life and are in need of rehabilitation or replacement. The council estimates that it would cost $3.6 billion to replace all the structurally deficient bridges and rehabilitate two-thirds of the functionally obsolete bridges in Ohio. This estimate does not include any design, roadway or land acquisition costs associated with these projects.

Dams in Ohio received a grade of C. There are more than 2,600 dams in the state of Ohio. Nearly 70 percent of dams are privately owned. There were 1,597 state-regulated dams in Ohio in 2007. Of the state-regulated dams, 33 percent are rated as being deficient. It is estimated that $309 million is required to make repairs to the 524 deficient dams in the state. As of 2007, 43 percent of Ohio’s high hazard dams had emergency action plans (EAP), a key measure in reducing the risk to the public. An EAP is a formal document that identifies potential emergency conditions at a dam and specifies pre-planned actions to be followed to minimize property damage or loss of life in the event of a dam failure.

Drinking water infrastructure in Ohio received a grade of D+. Approximately 90 percent of Ohioans receive water for daily needs from one of the more than 6,000 public water supply systems in the state. An estimated 99 percent of the burden for funding public water supply is borne by the local government agency. ASCE estimates that Ohio has $9.68 billion in drinking water infrastructure needs. The Ohio EPA Division of Drinking and Ground Water estimates that drinking water stimulus project funds will total approximately $58.5 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). As of April 2009, the Ohio EPA had received project funding requests for more than 1,400 projects for a total of $3 billion.

Electricity infrastructure in Ohio received a grade of C+. Electric generation, transmission, and distribution systems in Ohio are satisfactory, reliability problems are relatively few and those that exist are being addressed by system improvements. However, mandates related to alternative energy and environmental protection pose problems for Ohio’s electric utilities in the future. In 2008, the Ohio legislature passed a bill that requires that 12.5 percent of energy come from alternative energy sources (including renewable, conservation and clean thermal) by 2024. Furthermore, federal regulations may have a great impact on Ohio’s electric generating capacity, as approximately two-thirds of its electricity is provided by coal. There is a strong possibility that coal-fired generation will be required to drastically reduce CO2 emissions in the future, which could impose large financial burdens on its current system.

Parks and recreation infrastructure in Ohio received a grade of C-. Park systems in Ohio provide a crucial economic element in terms of jobs and financial impact. An additional $26.5 million is needed each year to properly operate the state parks and other divisions, and an additional $29.9 million is needed annually to eliminate the maintenance backlog over the next 10 to 20 years. These same needs are also being felt at the local levels as well. Facilities at many urban recreation centers are past their expected service life and are in need of repairs or at risk of being closed for health and safety reasons. A study by Ohio State University in 2004 stated that people visiting Ohio’s state parks alone contribute an estimated $1.1 billion to the state’s economy annually.

Railroads in Ohio received a grade of C-. Railroads provide critical services to industries important to Ohio’s economy, hauling raw materials, parts and finished products. Railroads are also an important industry in Ohio, employing more than 8,000 workers and paying approximately $500 million in wages in the state. ODOT has estimated that the cost to improve the 30 worst railroad choke points in the state would cost $1.19 billion. There are nearly 16,000 railroad crossings within the state. Since 1990, motor vehicle/train crashes at grade crossings have declined 66 percent and the number of fatalities has dropped 77 percent. However, between 2005 and 2008 there were still 482 accidents, including 45 fatalities. Columbus is the second largest and Dayton the sixth largest city in the U.S. without passenger rail services.

Roads in Ohio received a grade of D. With over 125,000 miles of roads, Ohio has one of the largest and most utilized roadway networks in the United States. ASCE found that 43 percent of Ohio’s roads are in critical, poor or fair condition. It is estimated that by the year 2014, Ohio will have a highway budget shortfall of more than $10 billion at the state government level alone. Congestion in the large urbanized areas in Ohio is getting worse. Each year, the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) publishes a ranking of highway congestion in the 50 largest urban areas throughout the U.S., as ranked by hours of delay per person. In 2002, Columbus was ranked 41st nationally and was the only Ohio city included. By 2005, Columbus’ ranking rose to 34th, and Cincinnati and Cleveland joined Columbus as Ohio cities included on the list (ranked 40th and 49th, respectively).

School infrastructure in Ohio received a grade of C. The quality of schools in Ohio is crucial to the state’s long-term viability and ability to compete in the global marketplace. The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) estimated in 2008 that Ohio schools require $9.32 billion in infrastructure investment. This ranks Ohio 6th in the country for total funds needed. The Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC) was created in 1997 as a separate state agency to oversee the rebuilding of Ohio’s public schools in 614 school districts. During the 1998-2007 fiscal years, the OSFC managed yearly appropriations across all its programs totaling $5.92 billion, or approximately $592 million per year. In 2007, the OSFC reported that all facility needs in 123 school districts have been fully addressed.

Wastewater infrastructure in Ohio received a grade of D+. Aging systems discharge billions of gallons of untreated wastewater into U.S. surface waters each year. An estimated 95 percent of the burden for funding municipal wastewater treatment systems is borne by local government. It is estimated that Ohio has $11.16 billion in wastewater infrastructure needs. It is clear that operations, maintenance and capital investments in wastewater treatment facilities are not keeping up with the decaying infrastructure and the increasing demand placed on these facilities. Older systems that mingle storm and wastewater collection systems are plagued by chronic overflows during major rainstorms and heavy snowmelt, which results in the discharge of raw sewage into surface waters. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated that the volume of combined sewer overflows discharged nationwide is 850 billion gallons per year. According to the EPA, sanitary sewer overflows, caused by blocked or broken pipes, resulted in the release of as much as 10 billion gallons of raw sewage annually.

ASCE’s Board of Directors has been giving special attention to improving America’s infrastructure on several fronts, including championing the need for investments in infrastructure renewal with policy makers at the national, state and local level. As part of this effort, and to broaden the dialog on infrastructure renewal, ASCE has been encouraging its Sections and Branches to develop and promote Infrastructure Report Cards for their region, state and city or county. Sections and Branches can localize the national Report Card by focusing on infrastructure that is relevant to their region, state, or local area.

OHIO

Top Three Infrastructure Concerns:

1. Roads
2. Bridges
3. Drinking Water

Key Infrastructure Facts

• 27 percent of Ohio’s bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.
• There are 375 high hazard dams in Ohio. A high hazard dam is defined as a dam whose failure would cause a loss of life and significant property damage.
• 524 of Ohio’s 1,597 dams are in need of rehabilitation to meet applicable state dam safety standards.
• 57 percent of high hazard dams in Ohio have no emergency action plan (EAP). An EAP is a predetermined plan of action to be taken including roles, responsibilities and procedures for surveillance, notification and evacuation to reduce the potential for loss of life and property damage in an area affected by a failure or mis-operation of a dam.
• Ohio’s drinking water infrastructure needs an investment of $9.68 billion over the next 20 years.
• Ohio ranked 5th in the quantity of hazardous waste produced and 3rd in the total number of hazardous waste producers.Ohio’s ports handled 124 million tons of waterborne traffic in 2005, ranking it 6th in the nation.
• Ohio reported an unmet need of $3.3 million for its state public outdoor recreation facilities and parkland acquisition.
• 25 percent of Ohio’s major roads are in poor or mediocre condition.
• 45 percent of Ohio’s major urban highways are congested.
• Vehicle travel on Ohio’s highways increased 27 percent from 1990 to 2007.
• Ohio has $11.16 billion in wastewater infrastructure needs.

To see the ASCE 2009 Report Card state-by-state assessment and how your state’s infrastructure measures up, click here.

Note: The Ohio Council of Local Sections of ASCE is the body that addresses statewide issues and shares ideas and practices from the six ASCE Sections in Ohio. The Ohio Council is composed of delegates elected annually from each of the six Sections: Akron/Canton, Central Ohio, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dayton, and Toledo. The Ohio Council in 2008 formed a committee to prepare an Infrastructure Report Card for the State of Ohio. The 2009 Ohio Infrastructure Report Card is the result of that effort. Please access or print a copy of the 2009 Ohio Infrastructure Report Card by visiting the Ohio Council of Local Sections of ASCE website at http://www.ohioasce.org/reportcard.

Bob Keaton

APWA Testifies Before Congress on Levee Safety During National Public Works Week

Only a few weeks ago the nation was on a vigil for several days waiting to see if the levees would hold or if the floodwaters would rush over their tops and annihilate Fargo, ND. Remember the news coverage?

The U.S. has an estimated 100,000 miles of levees and 85 percent are locally owned and maintained. The reliability of many of these levees is unknown. Many are more than 50 years old and were originally built to protect crops from flooding. With an increase in development behind these levees, the risk to public health and safety from failure has increased. Rough estimates put the cost at more than $100 billion to repair and rehabilitate the nation’s levees. According to the 2009 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Report Card, they score a D-.

In her opening remarks at the hearing on May 19 before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, Subcommittee Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX, 30) stated that “today is the first step on how we address flood risk.” It is anticipated that there will be additional congressional hearings as this issue moves forward and will continue to be a hot topic for the 111th Congress. Currently, lawmakers and stakeholders are waiting for the National Committee on Levee Safety (NCLS) report to be released from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). It is expected that the report will be released from OMB this spring or early summer, and legislation to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program will also emerge shortly, thereafter.

American Public Works Association (APWA) member Andy Haney, Director of Public Works, City of Ottawa, KS, testified before the same Subcommittee to discuss the NCLS recommendations on how to create and implement the National Levee Safety Program. As a representative of the Review Team for the NCLS, Haney spoke on behalf of APWA and provided input on the proposed strategic plan for the National Levee Safety Program.

Haney focused on the economic impact that the National Levee Safety Program will have on local governments and its taxpayers who may not be receiving the necessary attention that is warranted. Specifically, APWA’s recommendations concerning the NCLS report addressed the following:

• publicizing the anticipated costs to property owners for insuring properties against flood damage
• modifying the threshold of lives at risk as a determinant of federal financial aid availability
• placing a moratorium on the schedule relating to Provisional Accreditation Letters
• charging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with overseeing the National Levee Safety Program
• Reaching out to local elected officials organizations such as the U.S. Conference of Mayors, National League of Cities and National Association of Counties so that they might also share their perspective

This hearing was held during National Public Works Week (NPWW), a celebration of the tens of thousands of men and women in North America who provide and maintain the infrastructure and services collectively known as public works. The 2009 National Public Works Week theme is Renewal, Revitalization and Reinvestment.

Instituted as a public education campaign by the APWA in 1960, NPWW calls attention to the importance of public works, projects the government builds and maintains that specifically benefit the public in community life. Public Works departments deal with the nation’s infrastructure, all those things we take totally for granted. They construct and maintain public buildings, maintain our streets and provide water services – from safe drinking water to wastewater treatment.

Prime directives of public works are threefold:

1. to maintain that which has been built and created for us by taxpayers of previous generations
2. to create infrastructure that supports the needs of today (economic development needs)and provides a foundation for our children to grow their economic needs and quality of life upon as well
3. utilize and advance technology in the way services are provided

National Public Works Week seeks to enhance the prestige of the often–unsung heroes of our society–the professionals who serve the public good every day with quiet dedication.

APWA encourages public works agencies and professionals to take the opportunity to make their stories known in their communities. Over the years, the observances have taken many forms, including parades, displays of public works equipment, high school essay contests, open houses, programs for civic organizations and media events. The occasion is marked each year with scores of resolutions and proclamations from mayors and governors, as well. Some special highlights of NPWW include a United States Senate resolution affirming the first National Public Works Week in 1960, letters of acknowledgment from Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Lyndon Johnson, and a Presidential Proclamation signed by John F. Kennedy in 1962.

National Public Works Week is observed each year during the third full week of May. Recently, the U.S. Senate passed S. Res. 145, proclaiming May 17-23, 2009, as National Public Works Week. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a companion resolution (H. Res. 313). The Senate resolution “recognizes and celebrates the important contributions that public works professionals make every day to improve the public infrastructure of the United States and the communities those professionals serve and urges citizens and communities throughout the United States to join with representatives of the Federal Government and the American Public Works Association in activities and ceremonies…to pay tribute to the public works professionals of the United States.”

Through NPWW and other efforts, APWA seeks to raise the public’s awareness of public works issues and to increase confidence in public works employees who are dedicated to improving the quality of life for present and future generations.

We are at a time in our country’s history when we can either create a plan for future growth that will make our founding fathers proud or we can let the rest of the world pass us by. One thing is certain, our public works agencies and professionals will play a critical role in our future. Without our public works, we would have a very dim future.

To all the people who have dedicated their lives and careers to the public works sector of our world, thank you! Your efforts and commitment deserve more than a week of recognition, you deserve special treatment all 52 weeks.

Greg Sitek