You hear a lot of talk about our failing infrastructure and while some of it might not be evident one thing is for sure: our roads are in terrible condition. 

A road in need of repair in Toms River
A road in need of repair in Toms River (Kevin Williams, Townsquare Media NJ)
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Of course much is due to the rough winter we had which left potholes, most of which at best have been patched up.  It seems like generally speaking our roads are in worse shape than ever.  Some local roads resemble a third-world country and it’s not much better when it comes to many county and state roadways as well.  Buckle up and don’t plan on sipping your coffee because it’s likely to end up in your lap.

Crews have done the best they can with the resources and time they have but the real question is where is the money coming to not just patch but actually fix the problem?  What if next winter is as bad as last?

It might be good for those who sell tires but for most of us driving New Jersey roadways these days is more challenging than ever before.

Of course this is just a small part of the problem.  The American Society of Engineers issues a report card every four years on our country’s infrastructure and the last one in 2013 is as frightening as swimming off the coast of North Carolina these days.  Check out our grades in the following:

  • Solid Waste earned a B- which was the best grade given for anything.
  • Rail & Bridges got a C+ but of course we know many are in bad shape.
  • Ports earned a C (it’s all downhill from here).
  • Public Parks & Recreation received a C-
  • Energy gets a D+
  • Roads, Schools, Dams, Aviation, Wastewater, Hazardous Waste and Drinking Water all received D’s.
  • Inland Waterways & Levees earn a D-

 

The only positive was we didn’t fail anything although the overall grade of D+ is nothing to celebrate.  The grades are based on capacity, condition, funding, future need, operation and maintenance, public safety, resilience and innovation.  The most recent report card shows we have a serious backlog of overdue maintenance across our infrastructure systems along with a need to modernize and create reliable and long-term funding.

So as bad as those pot holes and patches are it appears the worst is yet to come.

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