Examining the City's Infrastructure

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Memphis has plenty of roads, bridges and railways. They get us to work. They move the things we want and need to live, work, and play. And we take it all for granted.

But, engineers warn that we shouldn’t.

Some of the roads are in need of paving. Bridges are literally crumbling before our eyes. And the sewer and water system is over a hundred years old in some places.

“The long term effects on the economy of our nation are catastrophic,” says Dr. Martin Lipinski of the University of Memphis Engineering Department.

In a report released last year, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave America a grade of D on its infrastructure report card. Engineers looked at 15 categories from roads to bridges, sewers to waterways.

Tennessee as a whole didn’t fair much better. The state’s drinking water system needs almost three billion dollars in upgrades and repair. 17% of the state’s roads are in poor or mediocre condition. Almost 50% of the highways are congested.

According to that report by the ASCE, 21% of Tennessee's bridges are structurally deficient. Fixing the problem would cost anywhere from hundreds of thousands of dollars for minor repairs, to millions for a complete overhaul.

There are more than 350 bridges in Memphis alone. Some of these have been a painful subject in the Mid-South. The deadly Perkins bridge collapse of 1980 is still fresh on the minds of many. More recently, other bridge collapses around the country have intensified the call for repairs and even replacements.

But, millions of dollars are needed to fix the roads while the purse strings are tightening.

"Two to three times what our budgets are, just to MAINTAIN the highway system," says Lipinski.

Lipinski says it’s not just a matter of a smoother ride to work every morning. The economy of the nation depends on properly maintained highways, railways, and bridges right here in Memphis.

"We are a primary distribution center for freight in America. If these bridges go down, our whole nation's economy is going to suffer."

John Cameron, the City’s Engineer says, surprisingly, the city is in decent shape. "The city of Memphis is in much better condition than some of the older cities, particularly in the northeast… A lot of the infrastructure is in surprisingly good condition. Back in the day, they did a good job of putting the infrastructure in."

That’s not to say there isn’t work to be done.

By all accounts, the roads and pipes date back more than 100 years. Thousands of miles of water pipes stretch through this city, most of them made of old clay and sometimes concrete. But thanks to new technology, they're saving money and saving these pipes.

A special liquid lining is being blown in pipes to seal leaks and literally create a new waterway in place of the old ones. This sort of project is going on all across the city to upgrade the old systems and make them usable for another century.

Dollars for projects like this one are coming in from the city storm water fees and the stimulus package of 2008. But, when looking at the city’s overall need, it’s a drop in a very deep well.

"We have some very serious unmet needs. All you have to do is drive around the community," said Cameron.