Mississippi’s infrastructure systems receive low rating

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Schools may be closed due to the coronavirus, but the state of Mississippi got a big report card on Tuesday.

Overall, the state received a D+ for its infrastructure systems.

The American Society of Civil Engineers conducted the research and graded a dozen infrastructure categories including, aviation, bridges, dams, drinking water, energy, inland waterways, levees, ports, rail, roads, solid waste, and wastewater.

Two key items were roads and bridges, both received a D-.

Engineers said a lot of the state’s infrastructure is aging and outdated, which leads to the low grade.

Jacob Forrester is the Infrastructure Report Card Chairman and said it’s going to take increased awareness of these issues and more funding to fix these problems.

“Somehow, someway, through a proactive user fee-based approach, we need to begin really putting in the time and effort to begin looking at what the appropriate funding mechanism is for each of these infrastructure divisions,” said Forrester.

The report card wasn’t all bad news for Mississippi.

The Magnolia State did receive a B- when it comes to its ports and railroad system, which were the highest grades the state received.

For a look at the full report card just visit the American Society of Civil Engineers’ website