The American Society of Civil Engineers has released their 2017 report card on New Hampshire’s infrastructure -- and the state is far from the honor roll.
Roads, bridges, dams and waste water were among the twelve infrastructure categories graded by New Hampshire’s civil engineers for their report – and across the board, things are mediocre or worse. The study awarded the state a C-minus overall, citing aging, deteriorating bridges, ill-equipped wastewater treatment plants, and unreliable energy sources. The only category to see marked improvement since the last ASCE evaluation in 2011 is solid waste disposal, which received a C-plus. You can read the full 2017 report here.
Department of Transportation Commissioner Victoria Sheehan says that while the grades are disappointing, they aren't surprising.
"We were very pleased," Sheehan said, "to see that the grades given to New Hampshire are in line with what we have trying to explain to the legislature and to the public over the last several years."
Governor Chris Sununu has proposed creating a $84 million infrastructure revitalization fund, to address some of the problems identified in the engineers’ report. The estimated cost to repair or replace just the worst of the state-owned bridges is more than six times that amount of money.
