Colorado Infrastructure Report 2020 : Colorado Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)

Because of the length of the report, 120 pages, this blog will cover the condensed information in the Executive Summary. Those familiar with the report card know that the ASCE issues the report card every decade. In their review of Colorado Infrastructure, the ASCE evaluates the following: aviation, bridges, dams, drinking water, energy, hazardous waste, levees, parks, rails, roads, schools, solid waste, transit, and wastewater. In 2010, Colorado received a C grade. In 2020, Colorado received a C-, both a mediocre grade.  

Although Colorado's grade decrease somewhat from the prior assessment, the ASCE did find improvements in certain areas, which they highlighted. First, the report cited Colorado's emphasis on energy and its renewable energy production: the state's quantification of human cost of carbon and "utility resource decisions" (p. 5), the increase use of renewable energy sources, the expansion of transmission capacity, "battery storage and advanced metering technologies" (p. 5), all of which improves the reliability of the grid. Second, the report focused on improvements in transportation. "Sixty out of sixty four counties in Colorado provide some type of transit for their residents and visitors" (p. 5). The report mentioned the improvements in I-70 transit, the corridor that gives visitors access to ski and other recreational areas. Third, regarding roads, the report mentioned their maintenance in comparison to the national average. Finally, like roads, Colorado bridges have also experiences continued maintenance compared to the national average.

To explain the reason for the decrease in grade from 2010 to 2020, the report mentioned the flat source of funding from the gas and diesel tax, a tax that has remained the same for 30 years despite the increase in the state's population. 

The ASCE recommend the following to improve the state's grade during the 2020s: "prioritizing infrastructure during stand and local budget discussions and in elections" (p. 6), increasing transit options for Colorado citizens to minimize congestion and pollution, overcome the funding blocks of Tabor and the Gallagher Amendment (voters removed the Gallagher block in the 2020 November election),  finally, improve school through the use of the Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) "competitive grant program" (p. 6).