Utah infrastructure nets a below-average grade

Utah's municipal and state infrastructure has received the lackluster response familiar to an average student: Not too bad, but you really could do better.

That passing-but-under-

achieving grade was included on a new report card released by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Utah and the Utah League of Cities and Towns.

The two organizations felt there was a need to assess the condition of Utah's infrastructure because of the direct relationship that exists between a healthy infrastructure and the economic well-being of the state.

Overall, infrastructure statewide — focused mostly on local facilities but also covering the Utah Department of Transportation and the Utah Transit Authority — received a "C" grade. (Please see accompanying chart.)

Analysts looked at the infrastructure of 20 cities across the state and several special service districts, such as sewage districts and water conservancy districts, to reach individual and overall grades — just as would be issued in a classroom setting.

The eight categories and their grades are as follows:

• Airports: C

• Bridges: D+

• Dams: C-

• Drainage/urban runoff: D

• Roads: D

• Transit: C-

• Wastewater: C-

• Water: C-

Each category was rated on a combination of condition and performance, capacity vs. need and funding vs. need.

In most cases, the demand has increased or will increase to the point of making the service of the infrastructure obsolete.

One such area is water maintenance. The report states Utah is the second-driest state in the country, creating a compounded problem of increased demand due to growth. Water systems were also found to be in deteriorating condition, requiring nearly $1 billion to upgrade.

Utah's bridges were also found to be inadequate as 18 percent of the 1,700 bridges across the state were found to be "structurally deficient or functionally obsolete," according to the report. Roads in general are projected to need more than $16.5 billion for upgrades and maintenance over the next 25 years.