Hartford — Connecticut's infrastructure got a "C-" grade in a new report that calls attention to roads and bridges built more than a half century ago, water systems in need of upgrades, and sewage plants susceptible to flooding during storms.

“Infrastructure is the backbone of our economy and it includes our transportation networks, energy, clean water distribution systems and wastewater collection," Roy Merritt, chairman of the Connecticut Society of Civil Engineers' Legislative Affairs Committee, said at a news conference Tuesday morning to unveil the report. "We must push for solutions to make Connecticut more attractive to businesses and to future residents."

The "2018 Report Card for Connecticut's Infrastructure" from the Connecticut Society of Civil Engineers Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers gives the state's rail system a "B," its bridges and drinking water systems a "C-," and its roads and wastewater systems a "D+." The criteria are capacity, condition, funding, future need, operation and maintenance, public safety, resilience and innovation, according to the organization. 

David Chapman, president of the Connecticut Society of Civil Engineers, said age was a major contributing factor to the grades, with much of the state's infrastructure built during the 1950s and 1960s. With the "C-" grade, he said, Connecticut is at a "turning point" where it can invest in and improve its systems. But without investment, the infrastructure will continue to age and become even more expensive to upgrade.

The state's wastewater treatment systems, tied with roads for the lowest grade, are aging and also can be overwhelmed during heavy rainstorms, leading to the discharge of untreated wastewater, said Chapman. 

"Another issue is that these plants are most often located in low-lying areas along rivers and the shore," he said. "These plants will require significant modification to protect them against higher water levels due to storms, as we have witnessed in the last few years."

More than half of Connecticut's 20,000 miles of roads are more than 55 years old, Chapman said.  

"Without additional funding, our roads will continue to deteriorate," he said.

The report says that 57 percent of the state's "major locally and state-maintained roads" are in poor condition, 22 percent are in mediocre condition, 10 percent are in fair condition, and 11 percent are in good condition.

The state's bridges and drinking water systems, which received "C-" grades, also need more investment, he said.

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The report says that 7.8 percent of Connecticut's bridges are structurally deficient, above the 8.9 percent nationally in that condition, but 62.6 percent of the state's bridges "are in fair condition, which puts them at risk for slipping into the structurally deficient category." 

Drinking water systems "have been well-maintained over the years, but they’re aging and in need of repair," Chapman said. They will require more than $4 billion in investment over the next 15 years, he said.

Rail got the highest grade with a B, and Chapman noted that Metro-North Railroad is the busiest rail system in the nation, with about 41 million passengers a year.

"Over 3.6 million tons of freight are moved annually across the state and over 3.5 million passengers ride annually on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor," he added.

But the report also highlights areas that need funding, including a reference to the Northeast Corridor Commission's Capital Investment Plan that lists the Connecticut River Bridge between Old Saybrook and Old Lyme as one of "five bridges in Connecticut with major funding challenges." The report estimates the cost to maintain and keep that bridge in good condition at $660 million.

Every four years, the American Society of Civil Engineers publishes a report card grading the nation's infrastructure, but this is the first year that the Connecticut Society of Civil Engineers published its own report on Connecticut's infrastructure.

During the news conference held in the parking lot of The Metropolitan District, the Connecticut Society of Civil Engineers stated its support for the proposed transportation "lockbox" amendment that will be on the Nov. 6 ballot.

Chapman also called for elected officials to not shortchange infrastructure improvements when faced with difficult financial decisions.

"Currently, ASCME estimates that our aging infrastructure will cost the average American over $3,000 per year," Chapman said. "Without attention, that number will only grow."

He also stressed the importance of making facilities more resilient in the face of the threat of rising water levels and, with that, the potential for severe storms.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., called the grades "generous" and said most Connecticut residents would give the state's roads, bridges and rail failing grades.

He said both the state and the nation — the nation's infrastructure overall got a "D+" rating in the 2017 national report — need to invest in infrastructure. He supported a proposal on the national level for "an infrastructure bank, a public financing authority that can use the borrowing power of the federal government without tax increases to provide the investment that is needed."

The report is available at www.infrastructurereportcard.org/connecticut.

k.drelich@theday.com