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Infrastructure Grades Are In: Pennsylvania Passes, But Only Barely

Margaret Sun
/
90.5 WESA
Pennsylvania's roads and bridges were each given a D+ in the report card.

Infrastructure is more than roads, bridges and water lines. 

Cathy Farrell co-chairs the Pennsylvania report card committee through the American Society of Civil Engineers, which grades the nation's infrastructure in 18 categories, including freight rail, wastewater, roads, bridges and more. Farrell says Pennsylvania's less-than-admirable score of C- hasn’t changed since the last report card was issued in 2014, but the influencers affecting it has.

Credit 90.5 WESA
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90.5 WESA
The forthcoming Good Question! book is available only by becoming a supporting member of WESA.

Transit is also a source of endless curiosity among WESA listeners. From ghost ramps to skybuses, reporter Katie Blackley says nearly one-fourth of all Good Question! queries have been about how Pittsburgh moves.

Elsewhere in the program, several candidates have already thrown their hat in the ring for Pittsburgh City Council, including activist Leon Ford, well before the May 2019 primary.

WESA editor Chris Potter takes a look at how extended election seasons among national offices have impacted those at the local level.

People suffering from serious mental illnesses sometimes expect to wait months -- or even years -- before they get treatment. WITF’s Brett Sholtis reports thattreatment waitlists have become a problem across the Commonwealth. 

And a PublicSource analysis found Pennsylvania lags far behind other states in how they react to problem police officers. Reporter Jeffrey Benzing explains.

The Confluence, where the news comes together, is 90.5 WESA’s daily news program. Tune in weekdays at 9 a.m. to hear newsmakers and innovators join veteran journalist Kevin Gavin, taking an in-depth look at stories important to the Pittsburgh region. Find more episodes of The Confluence here.

Kiley Koscinski covers city government, policy and how Pittsburghers engage with city services. She also works as a fill-in host for All Things Considered. Kiley has previously served as a producer on The Confluence and Morning Edition.
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