American Society of Civil Engineers Quantifies COVID-19’s Impact on American Infrastructure
WASHINGTON — The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released its “COVID-19’s Impacts on America’s Infrastructure,” a status report on the COVID-19 pandemic’s detrimental effects on the nation’s critical, yet aging and underinvested, airports, bridges, dams, drinking water, energy, inland waterways, parks, ports, roads, schools, transit, and wastewater infrastructure. The report provides a snapshot of these sectors, the recent impact on their frontline workers, and offers solutions for Congress to consider in their long-term economic recovery strategy.
"Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, our nation’s infrastructure was already in a crisis,” said K.N. Gunalan, “Guna,” Ph.D., P.E., president, ASCE. “Each American household was already losing at least $3,400 each year in disposable income due to poor and outdated roads, bridges, electric grid, water systems, and more — systems that are critical to the public’s health, safety and welfare. I encourage Congress to review this report and its solutions and make infrastructure investment a priority in their immediate response and long-term economic recovery strategy so that we can get Americans back to work and use this opportunity to rebuild more resiliently.”