Infrastructure

A state’s capital assets are the literal crossroads where the effects of the other three Project categories—People, Information, and Money—meet. As incidents ranging from the Minnesota bridge collapse to the tragic levee failures in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina prove, few functions of state government—in partnership with the federal government and other jurisdictions—have more direct impact on the daily lives of all Americans. To assess how well a state is managing its roads, bridges, and buildings, the Government Performance Project team factored in the degree to which a state has transparent and effective capital planning and project monitoring processes, maintains its assets, and coordinates this work within the state and with other jurisdictions.

Grades in the Infrastructure category in 2008 ranged between an A in Utah and D+s in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The national average among the 50 states for the Infrastructure category was B-, and 10 states received that grade. Seventeen states earned grades above the national average (i.e., grades of B and above), and 23 states received grades below the national average (i.e., C+ and below).

This year’s project found a variety of laudable practices in how state infrastructure projects are objectively selected and prioritized, monitored, and—most importantly—how these assets are cost-effectively maintained over the long term.

50 State Infrastructure Summary 

More information available at www.GOVERNING.com