In 2022 the four Pennsylvania ASCE Sections (Central Pennsylvania, Lehigh Valley, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh) will be releasing a new Report Card for Pennsylvania’s Infrastructure, however the work behind the scenes to develop the Report Card will be commencing late this Spring. The 2018 Report Card for Pennsylvania’s Infrastructure graded 18 categories of infrastructure and can be viewed at www.pareportcard.org as a reference as to the nature of the end product that is the goal to develop.

Volunteers are needed to join the infrastructure category committees. We are seeking to connect with members who have experience public policy or are interested in learning more about:

●        The current condition of public infrastructure;

●        The legislative and regulatory environment it is developed in;

●        Infrastructure’s operations and maintenance and;

●        How Public agencies and private corporations fund construction; operation; and renewal.

This is an opportunity to work in a team environment of like-minded professionals. The committees will work with staff from ASCE National and ASCE’s Committee on America’s Infrastructure to provide a snapshot of our infrastructure as it relates to us locally and on a national level. The volunteers will gather background information for each of the categories – including reports, studies, surveys and other research materials – from professional societies, non-profit associations, and local, state and Federal agencies, in order to determine grades for each category.

Grades will be developed in a simple A to F school report card format. Assigned letter grades are based on the following eight criteria: capacity, condition, funding, funding need, operation and maintenance, public safety, resilience, and innovation. The grades are an evaluation of the current state of the physical infrastructure itself and are not a reflection on the agencies responsible for the infrastructure, who are often working with limited resources. Historically, small teams of ASCE volunteers coordinate and meet with public agencies in the development and advance of the Report Card release to seek their input and notify them of the findings.

This is a wonderful opportunity for professionals as well as students who are interested in developing a deeper understanding of public policy and be acknowledged in a published report. Anyone interested should contact the Report Card for Pennsylvania’s Infrastructure Co-chairs, David DiGioia at ddigioia@mcmahonassociates.com or Michelle Madzelan at memadzelan@elagroup.com.