WASHINGTON — A report card says the District’s infrastructure is in slightly better shape than that of the rest of the nation, but that the condition and congestion of the roads is costing each person who drives in the city plenty.
The American Society of Civil Engineers study, which will be released later Thursday, gives D.C. a C-minus overall, and while that’s slightly better than the national average of a D-plus, the report finds plenty of problems.
Extra vehicle repairs and operating costs due to worn-down roads are costing people who drive in the District a total of $311 million in vehicle repairs and operating costs, according to The Washington Post, which has obtained a copy of the full report.
D.C.’s grade was pulled down by a few well-known problems. The roads were graded at D-plus, and the report says that drivers were stuck in a combined 204 million hours in delay. The transit system received a D grade, due in part to the financial and safety issues plaguing Metro.
The District’s bridges and rail system both were given a grade of B-minus, thanks to recent investments in repairing bridges such as the 16th Street Bridge over Military Road, the New York Avenue and the 11th Street bridges.
The District has made good investments in tracks used by freight and passenger trains, such as the Virginia Avenue Tunnel, the study says.
The overall C-minus grade that D.C. received is in line with Maryland’s and Virginia’s, which were last graded in 2011 and 2015 respectively.
