By: Daniel Kool
Source: Portland Press Herald, Maine (TNS)

The Maine Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the state’s infrastructure a C rating in its latest report card.

Over five evaluations, Maine has consistently gotten the mediocre ranking, according to the society’s latest report. The group releases a new report card every four years. Four years ago, Maine secured a C-minus grade, meaning its score improved slightly this time around.

The society reviewed 16 categories, of which only three received B or B-minus grades signaling “good condition.” Nine categories were considered “mediocre” with C-level rankings, and four were given D-level grades indicating “poor condition,” according to the report.

“The maintenance and improvement of Maine’s infrastructure is vital to our economy, health, safety, security and environmental sustainability,” the society said in its report released Tuesday. The report card evaluates infrastructure based on its capacity compared to current and future demands, overall condition, funding and resilience to threats and incidents, among other factors.