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US ports need massive upgrade: American Society of Civil Engineers
THE American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is calling on the US government to maintain, modernise and expand its port infrastructure after giving it a C grade for "mediocre" in its annual report card for 2013.
"To sustain and serve a growing economy and compete internationally, our nation's ports need to be maintained, modernised, and expanded," the ASCE said.
"While port authorities and their private sector partners have planned over US$46 billion in capital improvements from now until 2016, federal funding has declined for navigable waterways and landside freight connections needed to move goods to and from the ports."
The ASCE report card is published every four years and provides an assessment of current infrastructure conditions and needs, both assigning grades and making recommendations for improvement, reports Lloyd's List.
The ASCE urged government to establish a national freight strategy and policy that "incorporates all modes of transport, including waterways and ports, draw on successful state-level strategies, and include other key stakeholders such as shippers, retailers, and manufacturers."
It is urging Washington to prioritise capital projects "according to risk and reliability, as well as economic return" and to "streamline the project approval and delivery process at the federal level, so that projects take years instead of decades."
The influential engineers' body is also demanding that federal investments be targeted to "modernise and maintain navigation channels at authorised widths and depths," and to "restore previous funding levels for the US Army Corps of Engineers."
"To sustain and serve a growing economy and compete internationally, our nation's ports need to be maintained, modernised, and expanded," the ASCE said.
"While port authorities and their private sector partners have planned over US$46 billion in capital improvements from now until 2016, federal funding has declined for navigable waterways and landside freight connections needed to move goods to and from the ports."
The ASCE report card is published every four years and provides an assessment of current infrastructure conditions and needs, both assigning grades and making recommendations for improvement, reports Lloyd's List.
The ASCE urged government to establish a national freight strategy and policy that "incorporates all modes of transport, including waterways and ports, draw on successful state-level strategies, and include other key stakeholders such as shippers, retailers, and manufacturers."
It is urging Washington to prioritise capital projects "according to risk and reliability, as well as economic return" and to "streamline the project approval and delivery process at the federal level, so that projects take years instead of decades."
The influential engineers' body is also demanding that federal investments be targeted to "modernise and maintain navigation channels at authorised widths and depths," and to "restore previous funding levels for the US Army Corps of Engineers."
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