As many of us are traveling in and around Nevada for the holidays, the American Society of Civil Engineers says roads in Las Vegas are improving, but much of the infrastructure in Northern Nevada is aging.
This comes from the recently released American Infrastructure Report Card, which has given Nevada a C, a slight improvement over the past four years. KUNR's Bree Zender brings us more.
Nevada has been growing rapidly. 62,000 people have moved in over the past year, according to the US Census Bureau. And the American Society of Civil Engineers, or ASCE, said the state is doing what it can to keep up in urban areas, where 90 percent of Nevadans live.
The report applauded improvement to the Reno-Tahoe and McCarran airports, as well as the construction of new schools in Washoe and Clark Counties.
“Nevada authorized autonomous vehicles in 2013 and has seen several test implementations in downtown Las Vegas and Clark County,” the report said. “[The Nevada Department of Transportation] just completed USA Parkway to provide access from I-80 and the Tahoe-Reno Industrial center continues to attract technology companies to the area.”
However, rural areas, like Elko, Ely and Tonopah, are struggling, especially when it comes to dealing with solid waste. ASCE officials said Nevadans generate nearly double the national average of garbage each year. Rural parts of the state are faced with limited and expensive methods for managing their waste.
The report said dams in Nevada have had the same funding and staffing issues over the past four years, which is consistent with a large portion of the country. However, funding passed this past year by Congress could bring improvements to dam safety in the future.
