Region's Infrastructure Barely Makes a Passing Grade

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News article was written by Jay Miller, Crain's Cleveland Business.

The infrastructure of the five northernmost counties of Northeast Ohio got a D+ grade on a report card from the Cleveland Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

That harsh assessment, though, duplicates the grade the national ASCE gave to the United States as a whole in a national survey in 2017.

The report by the professionals who design, build and maintain the built environment examined over two years the roads, bridges, dams, water and sewage systems and school buildings in Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain and Medina counties. The ASCE hopes the report will help the region better understand the state of its infrastructure and support initiatives to improve the systems.

Despite the low grade, the ASCE didn't blame local political leaders for the deficiencies, instead pointing to the lack of available funding at the state and federal levels, the age of the Northeast Ohio infrastructure and a declining population, which means the cost of the systems is spread over a smaller base.

"We found out that our local government officials and agencies are generally doing a tremendous job with the resources they have available to them," said Gina Beim, chair of ASCE's Northeast Ohio Infrastructure Report Card Committee, at a news conference on Wednesday, Feb. 20. "We must continue to focus on infrastructure and make sure that resources continue to be made available so these agencies can do a better job than they are doing now."

Beim said that area dams, drinking water and roads are a little better than the national average, while bridges, energy and schools are a little below national averages and wastewater systems on a par with similar systems across the country.
Several speakers at the press conference emphasized that much of the region's infrastructure is aging.

"The grade is indicative of the age and the need for a continued investment to protect the gains that we've made," said Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells, CEO of the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, highlighting NEORSD's Easterly Treatment Plant. "Our Easterly plant is almost 100 years old. It's a phenomenal plant, wins awards every year, no permit violations. But it's 100 years old, so the level of investment it takes to keep that plant working at the high level that it is, is really highlighted by this report."

Beim said the group was encouraged by reports that Gov. Mike DeWine plans to seek an increase in the gasoline tax, which would boost spending on roads and bridges.

Within the overall grade, the ASCE report card also includes grades by category:
• Bridges: C-
• Dams: D+
• Drinking water: C-
• Energy: D
• Roads: D+
• School buildings: D
• Wastewater: D+

The grading criteria varied from sector to sector but generally looked at the general physical condition of facilities in a category; whether the facilities have the capacity to meet present and future demands; whether the operation and maintenance meet government regulations; and whether public safety is jeopardized by the condition of the infrastructure.

The group made four recommendations:
• Increase the state gas and diesel tax to fund needed bridge and roadway repairs.
• Invest in school facilities to better train tomorrow's workforce.
• Continue to invest in wastewater infrastructure to ensure the health of Lake Erie.
• Make Northeast Ohio more economically competitive with better infrastructure across all sectors.
 

"Most importantly, though, the report highlights that this is not rocket science," said Dreyfuss-Wells. "If you have the money and you have the commitment, you have infrastructure that works and goes into the future."

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