Louisiana's Infrastructure: A Work in Progress

Louisiana's infrastructure is in a tough spot. It's not just about the money, but also the age of the structures and the increasing number of extreme weather events. The American Society of Civil Engineers gave the state a "C-" overall, which is a slight improvement from the last report. But don't get too excited, because that still means things aren't keeping up with what's needed. Roads and drinking water systems got a "D, " and bridges a "D+". That's not great, but it's better than the "D+" the state got overall in 2017. The report says that Louisiana has had 36 extreme weather events in the past decade, causing $200 billion in damages. So, it's not just about building new things, but also about making sure what's already there can handle these storms. The state has gotten some money from federal stimulus packages, like $750 million for water and sewer systems and $5. 9 billion for roads and bridges. But the report says that even with this money, there's still a lot of work to be done. For example, there's a $33 billion backlog for road and bridge maintenance and improvements. And 11. 5% of the state's bridges are in "poor" condition, which is almost double the national average. The report also talks about how the state's roads and bridges rely on a 20-cent-per-gallon state sales tax. But this tax has lost two-thirds of its purchasing power since the late 1980s. So, even if the state wanted to spend more on infrastructure, it might not have the money to do so. The report suggests that the state needs to be more selective and impactful with its spending. It also says that the state needs to improve its data on infrastructure to make better decisions about where to spend money. For example, the state has spent $1. 62 billion annually to fight coastal erosion, but there's still a lot of work to be done. In the end, the report is a mixed bag. It shows that Louisiana has made some progress, but there's still a long way to go. And with extreme weather events becoming more frequent and more severe, the state needs to act fast to make sure its infrastructure can handle what's coming.