A new report on the condition of Idaho's infrastructure finds the state's aviation, dams, bridges, drinking water systems, energy, highways, railroads, schools, transit and wastewater systems have much room for improvement.

Today, the Southern Idaho Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released the 2012 Report Card for Idaho's Infrastructure, and gave the state a grade of C-.

"The vast majority of Idaho’s infrastructure lacks proper maintenance funding and is poorly equipped to deal with the increasing demands it’s faced with as the state continues to grow. While grades for aviation, road and bridge infrastructure have improved, funding remains inadequate to meet future capacity and funding needs," states the news release announcing the unveiling of the report.

It is the first report of its kind in Idaho.

“As civil engineers in the state of Idaho, we have a responsibility to safeguard the life, health, property and welfare of the public,” said Scott M. Wood, president of ASCE Southern Idaho. “We believe it is part of this responsibility to provide the public, including our elected leaders, with critical information about the current state of our infrastructure.”

The study is a state-focused report similar to the national ASCE’s Report Card on America’s Infrastructure, which reviewed the nation’s infrastructure and gave it an overall rating of D-.

The report is designed to highlight the condition of Idaho’s infrastructure so the public and policy makers can make informed decisions on funding.

Industry experts from public agencies, private firms and non-profit groups led this Report Card effort. More than 25 civil engineering experts compiled issue briefs of 11 different infrastructure categories over the last 18 months. To arrive at grades for each area of infrastructure, volunteers examined the physical condition, capacity and future need, and studied funding sources and trends that impact maintenance and upgrades. In nearly every area, lack of funding was cited as a reason for poor physical conditions. Of the infrastructure areas, bridges, state highways, transit and passenger rail rank the lowest in the state of Idaho, with local highways and schools not far behind.

The following are the 2012 Idaho Report Card grades:

Aviation – C

Bridges – D+

Dams – C

Drinking Water – C+*

Energy – C+

Local Highways – C-

Rail – Freight – C+, Passenger – D-

Schools – C-

State Highways – D+

Transit - D

Wastewater – B-*

*Drinking and Wastewater grades are based on survey results.

To view the 2012 Report Card for Idaho’s Infrastructure, visit the ASCE Southern Idaho Section website at http://sections.asce.org/sis/.