By Nolan Warner

Americans like driving across a bridge that they know won't collapse. They like having communities safe from bursting dams. They value having electricity. They don't much care for hazardous waste lying around in the wilderness. They like goods being transported efficiently to whatever region they may reside in. They do not like drowning. They like having parks in their neighborhoods that are free of glass and filth. They like clean water to drink. They like trains, planes, and automobiles to help them make it home in time for Thanksgiving and to commute to work. That said, most of them won't like to hear what this article says.

It's important not to be over dramatic when considering the problem that we face; those who tell you that everything is going to crumble into total collapse are probably wrong. But it's also important not to sugarcoat the situation of America's aging infrastructure, at least according to the American Society of Civil Engineers (also known as the ASCE.) In 2009, the ASCE released what they called a report card for America's infrastructure. Our country is not receiving the kind of grades you'd want your parents to see on your PHS report card. Our nation’s highest grade was a C+, which it received in the area of solid waste. A C was issued for our bridges. Our railway and public parks and recreation systems both received a C-. A D+ was issued for energy. Aviation, dams, hazardous waste, schools and transit all got rated a D. Drinking water, levees, wastewater, inland waterways and roads each received the lowest grades, a D-, on this report card. Skipping some components of the report to highlight the areas with the most need for improvement, let's take a look at some of the worst categories: Aviation, dams, and roads.

Aviation is, of course, the commercial and private use of air travel and transportation. As things stood at the time of the ASCE report, the major issues with our nation’s aviation infrastructure were delays caused by avoidable issues. Some common issued were high traffic volume or closed runways, an outdated air traffic control system that is inefficient as things stand and doesn't allow room for growth, and a predicted growth rate in of only 3% in 2009 alone, which clearly demonstrates the need for increased efficiency. To accommodate for this growth and to continue meeting the standards of the American people and the nation's trade needs, the ASCE estimates that the air industry would need $87 billion in five year funding. The estimated spending that they are likely to receive is only $46.3 billion. This leaves a projected shortfall of approximately $40.7 billion. As of 2011, these conditions haven't changed much, at least according to continuing coverage of the issue by the ASCE. Mayday, mayday!

Dams are of more importance than most people realize in the modern United States. The National Inventory of Dams, a branch of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, reports that the number of dams in the U.S. has exceeded 85,000. The Federal Government, however, only owns or regulates 11% of these dams. Potential high hazard dams, labeled so not due to their condition but because of the anticipated loss of life and ensuing damage that would occur were they to fail, are growing in number. In 2009, there were more than 15,000 nationwide. “This increase is a result of new development below dams,” says the ASCE, “which is dramatically increasing the consequences of failure and resulting in the reclassification of dams. This change in classification requires that significantly greater safety standards be met given the greater consequences of dam failure.” The total number of deficient or unsafe dams in the United States of America was 4,095 in 2007, nearly 2000 of which were high hazard dams. These numbers are determined by a dam's age, a lack of maintenance, deterioration, and geological awareness about the surrounding region of a dam, such as earthquakes and potential flooding. The ASCE concludes that dams are increasing in number and yet are being maintained less and less, while many are in severe need of repair or inspection. While the estimated cost of addressing this issue is $12.5 billion, it will likely receive a mere $5.5 billion by 2014. This can really dampen one's opinion of dam safety in their area, or that of their countrymen.

Roads and highways are crucial American population’s ability to go about their daily business, and for the economy to thrive. Our safety, convenience, financial well being, and in fact our very society depends on the condition of our paved infrastructure. That's why the picture painted by our nation's current road system is so grim. Congestion accounts for a huge pile of money lost in accidents and fuel wasted, as well as a substantial amount of fatalities on the road. Poor road conditions not only lead to wear and tear on cars, but put motorists at increased risk of an accident on a daily basis. All the while, demand is increasing steadily. With a growing population and more transportation of goods and car ownership than ever before, we need more out of the system, and it's deteriorating. There's a projected shortfall of $549.5 billion when it comes to investing in needed repairs and expansion. The massive number of issues faced when considering how to fix our road infrastructure are so expansive that I can't come even close listing all of them. As such, I'll wrap it up into one sentence: It's bad. Really, really bad. (Yes, I know I cheated and used two.)

Overall, our nation faces an infrastructure crisis. There are a lot of details that I didn't make mention of when I wrote this article, because were I to explain each one entirely, I'd take up every page of the Phoenix, and there’s just too much good stuff to read for that to be an option. Every issue that I didn't explain in further detail than its grade is also a cause for concern, with similar budget shortfalls and equally intimidating risks. No matter how you spin it, there's no debating the fact that we as a nation need to put much more focus on repairing and upgrading an aging United Stated of America. If we fail to do so hastily, we'll start facing serious consequences that are not, by any stretch of the human imagination, pleasant to think about.