Civil Engineers Grade Texas’s Infrastructure

New Report Card Updates Three Infrastructure Categories

WHAT: The Texas Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) will release its
2008 Texas Infrastructure Report Card Update. The update examines the condition of
Texas’s roads and highways, bridges and dams in terms of conditions and performance,
capacity versus need, and funding versus need. Combined with the 2004 grades for 10
other categories, an overall GPA is determined for our states’ infrastructure.

WHO: The Report Card Update will be presented by:
Ricky J. Bourque, P.E., Texas Section President

WHEN: Monday, January 5, 2009
4:00 p.m.

WHERE: South Steps of the Texas State Capitol

WHY: As the legislature faces significant challenges prioritize and fund vital infrastructure
projects throughout the state, the Texas Section of ASCE will issue the 2008 Texas
Infrastructure Report Card Update to re-evaluate roads and highways, bridges and
dams. These three key areas were updated from the 2004 Texas Infrastructure Report
Card, which addressed these and a total of 13 infrastructure areas – transit, aviation,
schools, drinking water, wastewater, solid waste, hazardous waste, navigable
waterways, flood control and energy.
This update follows the national 2005 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, which
assigned our nation’s infrastructure a cumulative grade of D in 15 infrastructure
categories – aviation, bridges, dams, drinking water, energy, hazardous waste, navigable
waterways, public parks and recreation, rail, roads, schools, security, solid waste, transit
and wastewater. The national assessment shows that our nation’s infrastructure
continues to deteriorate and Texas is no exception, suffering from aging infrastructure
and the need for federal, state and local funds to bring the state’s infrastructure to an
adequate condition.
Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) represents more than 146,000 civil engineers
worldwide and more than 9,000 civil engineers in Texas. ASCE is America’s oldest national engineering
society. For more information on the 2008 Texas Infrastructure Report Card Update, visit
www.texasce.org/docs/ReportCard.cfm