Even if you were to take Jackson’s water woes out of the equation, drinking water and waste water throughout Mississippi are still in dire need of improvement.

“Jackson is really just the canary in the coal mine,” said Jennifer Sloan Ziegler, chair of the 2024 Report Card for Mississippi’s Infrastructure. “The failures that are happening in Jackson are not just simply happening in Jackson. They are happening across the state. So, even if we were to take Jackson out of the equation, we would probably see the same grades (across the state). Maybe a little higher, but not much.”

Water was just one part of the equation as the Mississippi Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers released the 2024 Report Card for Mississippi’s Infrastructure Thursday in front of the state capitol in Jackson.

It includes 12 categories of infrastructure that received an overall grade of “C-,” which the ASCE said is a one-step increase from the 2020 Report Card for Mississippi’s Infrastructure and matches the national average on the 2021 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. A “C-” grade means Mississippi’s infrastructure is in fair condition and requires attention to ensure it remains reliable in the future.

Four of the 12 infrastructure categories (Bridges, Dams, Rail and Solid Waste) saw their grades increase compared to the previous 2020 Report Card, while two categories (Drinking Water and Wastewater) saw their grades drop one level compared to the 2020 Report Card.

The individual rankings:

• B: Rail
• B-: Ports
• C+: Solid Waste
• C: Aviation
• C: Energy
• D+: Bridges
• D+: Dams
• D: Inland Waterways
• D: Levees
• D-: Drinking Water
• D-: Roads
• D-: Wastewater

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By comparison, according to the last testing results for neighboring states, Mississippi’s results are similar.

Alabama had an overall score of C- in 2022. Arkansas had a C- in 2021 and Tennessee had a C in 2021. Meanwhile, Louisiana was rated with a D+ in its last grading in 2017.

While the C- may only be an average score, it does represent a significant improvement from the last report card in 2020 when Mississippi scored just a D+.

The uptake is that overall Mississippi could be worse, but still has work to do, particularly in a few areas.

“Mississippians have witnessed the consequences of underinvestment and deferred maintenance in infrastructure systems, especially when it comes to our most valuable, life-sustaining resource, the water we all need to survive,” Ziegler said. “We cannot continue to kick the proverbial can down the road, regardless whether it is water or roads or bridges.”

The only two categories to see grade decreases in the 2024 report card were drinking water and wastewater. Both fell from a “D” in 2020 to a “D-” in 2024.

However, Ziegler expects an improvement in those grades for the next testing period in 2028 because of significant investment from the federal government in the last 18 months.

“We are already seeing signs that would lead us to believe the grades on water will go up,” Ziegler said. “It just will not show up officially for some time.”

Central District Transportation Commissioner Willie Simmons said that while there needs to be improvement for roads and bridges, there needs to continue to be more investment from the legislature.

Mississippi’s bridges saw a two-step grade increase to a “D+” according to the 2024 report card, compared to a “D-” in 2020. Over the last four years, the percentage of bridges in poor condition dropped from 9.8% to 6.3%. However, in this same timeframe, the percentage of bridges in good condition fell from 58.4% to 56.1%, and the number of bridges that have limits on the weight they can carry grew by more than 400. The grade for roads in Mississippi is unchanged in the 2024 report card at a “D-.”

Simmons said that while the 18-cent gas tax has not been increased since it was implemented in 1987, the decision in 2018 to add funds through the lottery bill has been helpful in getting more resources into the transportation system.

“These grades are not where we want them to be, but good research, good information and good data is good for us to have,” Simmons said. “Resources are very important. We have been very fortunate to get new money into our system the last few years.”

He went on to say, however, that roads and bridges need a total $650 million in recurring money to maintain what Mississippi already has without talking about improvements and additions.

The report suggested four key areas to focus on so as to improve the state’s score for the next reporting period.

• Ensure that infrastructure investment is strategically focused on efforts that maximize good-paying jobs, promote the state’s economic competitiveness, and enhance usability so that all Mississippians continue to proudly call our state home.
• Increase funding for state agencies to ensure these critical agencies can carry out their mandated missions. Insufficient funding for decades has resulted in a lack of proper staffing, leading to delays in permitting, necessary approvals and project execution, causing delayed or missed economic investments across the state.
• Design, operate, maintain, and expand Mississippi’s infrastructure systems using consensus-based codes, specifications and standards that reduce the potential loss of jobs, economic opportunity and critical natural resources. This includes advancing resiliency and mitigation measures to ensure better long-term use of taxpayer dollars.
• Invest in programs for technical career training — especially in the drinking water and wastewater sectors. Not only can investment help retain Mississippi’s talent and prevent continued “brain drain,” but it can also help mainstream tools for data-driven decision-making, such as the use of asset management software and life-cycle cost analysis to inform affordable rate structuring for the use of our infrastructure systems.

Ross Reily is a writer for the Clarion Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at rreily@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter @GreenOkra1.