manager Jay Labarre told City Council members. Mayor Jimmy Durbin added that the city's sewer system is crumbling. City utilities, which generate their own income and operate separately from the general fund, don't have sufficient revenue to meet operating expenses, let alone to replace infrastructure, Labarre and Durbin told the council. Durbin said the city will have to face the costs of upgrading poor sewer infrastructure,"Sewer gas has eaten away the mortar," and concrete in the sewer system, he said. Ground water intrudes into lines and makes sewage more difficult and expensive to treat, the mayor said. The city needs to rehabilitate 10 to 15 lift stations and needs to add lines to reach all areas of the city, Durbin told the council. In some cases, sewage is going into road
ditches which flow into our streams,the mayor said. The Advocate, 10/21/04 It may cost $250,000 to fix a wall that collapsed, dumping 800,000 to more than 1 million gallons of sewage onto the ground and into the Red River. The broken wall is 90 feet long and 14 feet high, on the south side of the 12yearold plant in the area where raw sewage enters the plant and is separated into pits for treatment. The plant treats about 24 million to 27 million gallons of raw sewage a day. Associated Press, 2/21/04
Sources
*Survey of the state's civil engineers conducted in December 2004.
TRIP Fact Sheets, February 2005
Texas Transportation Institute, 2004 Urban Mobility Report Government Performance Project, Grading the States 2004 The State of Garbage in America, Biocycle Magazine 2004 Condition of America’s Public Schools, 1999
EPA Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey, 2001 EPA Clean Water Needs Survey, 2000
Association of State Dam Safety Officials
Maine
Top Three Infrastructure Concerns*
61. Roads 62. Bridges 63. Schools
Key Infrastructure Facts
·
31% of Maine’s major roads are in poor or mediocre condition.·
Vehicle travel on Maine’s highways increased 26% from 1990 to 2003. Maine’s population grew 6% between 1990 and 2003.·
Driving on roads in need of repair costs Maine motorists $263 million a year in extra vehicle repairs and operating costs—$282 per motorist.·
36% of Maine’s bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.·
There are 68 statedetermined deficient dams in Maine.·
Maine has 26 high hazard dams. A high hazard dam is defined as a dam whose failure would cause a loss of life and significant property damage.·
The rehabilitation cost for Maine’s most critical dams is estimated at $9.2 million.·
Maine's drinking water infrastructure needs $500 million over the next 20 years.·
Maine has $1.1 billion in wastewater infrastructure needs.·
Maine generates 1.03 tons of solid waste per capita.·
Maine recycles 49% of the state's solid waste.·
60% of Maine's schools have at least one inadequate building feature.·
71% of Maine's schools have at least one unsatisfactory environmental feature.From the Headlines
The replacement of the Davis Narrows Bridge over the Bagaduce River is scheduled for 2005. The 74yearold bridge is showing signs of its age. The bridge's sufficiency rating, a federal measurement that analyzes a number of factors including structural soundness, bridge alignment and safety. was a 31.7 out of a possible 100. Any rating less than 50 would target a bridge for replacement. The bridge's substructure is built of stacked stones.
There has been some movement in those stones, mainly due to the tidal river ripping
through the bridge opening in two directions. Bangor Daily News, 8/11/04
Sources
*Survey of the state's civil engineers conducted in December 2004.
TRIP Fact Sheets, February 2005
Texas Transportation Institute, 2004 Urban Mobility Report Government Performance Project, Grading the States 2004 The State of Garbage in America, Biocycle Magazine 2004 Condition of America’s Public Schools, 1999
EPA Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey, 2001 EPA Clean Water Needs Survey, 2000
Association of State Dam Safety Officials
Maryland
Top Three Infrastructure Concerns*
64. Roads 65. Schools 66. Mass Transit
Key Infrastructure Facts
·
49% of Maryland’s major urban roads are congested.·
45% of Maryland’s major roads are in poor or mediocre condition.·
Vehicle travel on Maryland’s highways increased 35% from 1990 to 2003. Maryland’s population grew 15% between 1990 and 2003.·
Driving on roads in need of repair costs Maryland motorists $1.4 billion a year in extra vehicle repairs and operating costs—$402 per motorist.·
Congestion in the Baltimore metropolitan area costs commuters $866 per person in excess fuel and lost time.·
Congestion in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area costs commuters $1,212 per person per year in excess fuel and lost time.·
29% of Maryland’s bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.·
There are 12 statedetermined deficient dams in Maryland.·
Maryland has 64 high hazard dams. A high hazard dam is defined as a dam whose failure would cause a loss of life and significant property damage.·
The rehabilitation cost for Maryland’s most critical dams is estimated at $64.6 million.·
Maryland's drinking water infrastructure needs $1.7 billion over the next 20 years.·
Maryland loses 66 million gallons of drinking water a day due to leaking pipes.·
Maryland has $4.78 billion in wastewater infrastructure needs.·
Maryland generates 1.63 tons of solid waste per capita.·
Maryland recycles 29.2% of the state's solid waste.·
67% of Maryland's schools have at least one inadequate building feature.·
65% of Maryland's schools have at least one unsatisfactory environmental feature.Field notes from civil engineers in the state
"Lead in the drinking water is a continuing problem. The public schools are testing every fountain and faucet in each school on a regular basis and sending home the test results to parents." —a civil engineer from Olney, MD
"Local governments are struggling with the need to expand capacity by adding new infrastructure with the fact the existing assets require funding to maintain performance. Due to revenue
constraints and no innovation in securing funds (e.g. userbased fees, partnerships, 3rdparty management, etc) the strugggles will continue." —a civil engineer from Baltimore, MD
"The biggest controversy is the red line on the Metrorail system. As stated above, the fares have increase twice in the last year and service has declined. The fares were recently increased by 40 cents. Parking increased 75 cents. As some one who is a daily commuter I pay almost $12 a day only to be frustrated with constant delays. I've even had to deboard a train twice, because it was malfunctioning." —a civil engineer from Potomac, MD
"The main sewer lines in Baltimore are collapsing with little or no financing to repair same. D.C.
still has combined sewer system with no plans for separation." —a civil engineer from Baltimore, MD
"The traffic at I270 and I495 around Washington,DCis choking the life out of commuters." —a civil engineer from Mt. Airy, MD