Report: D.C. region’s unfunded infrastructure needs total $58 billion

Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments study examines next 15 years of spending needs.

This Jan. 29, 2014 photo shows construction workers about a mile into the new tunnel being constructed on the Clean Rivers Project . It is D.C. Water’s program to reduce sewer overflows into the Anacostia and Potomac rivers and Rock Creek. (Jonathan Newton / The Washington Post)

Updated 12:55 p.m. to clarify the report has not yet been officially adopted

Keeping the D.C. region’s transportation, utility, safety and energy infrastructure in a state of good repair over the next 15 years will require some $58 billion in yet-to-be-identified funding, according to a new report expected to be adopted by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

The “State of the Region” report follows a yearlong examination of infrastructure needs by the regional coordinating body, one that brought together elected leaders as well as government and utility officials to develop a comprehensive picture of the area’s key vulnerabilities.

It is to be presented at the Council of Governments meeting Wednesday, two days after a incident at Metro’s L’Enfant Plaza station left a woman dead and scores injured, highlighting the fragility of the region’s public transit system. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority alone estimates it will require at least $16 billion through 2025 to maintain good service.

“We want transportation to run smoothly, electricity and natural gas to turn on when we flip the switch, water to flow when we turn on the tap, clear communications in an emergency, and first-class public buildings,” said Phil Mendelson, board chairman of the Council of Governments as well as the D.C. Council chairman, in the preface to the draft report. “However, maintenance and replacement costs in critical sectors have been deferred as leaders have been faced with competing priorities, and the need for investing in new systems to support growth and maintaining a state of good repair totals in the billions.”

The report advocates the creation of a regional “infrastructure exchange” group that would study and prioritize projects and ways of funding them. It also calls for a sustained public education campaign to raise awareness of the region’s infrastructure needs and a series of workshops bringing together experts to “brainstorm out-of-the-box funding mechanisms” to pay for them.

“Now, our challenge is to put this valuable information to good use as each of our jurisdictions, authorities and other infrastructure owners and regulators set budgets and consider projects,” Mendelson said.

The good news is that there should be enough resources pulsing through the regional economy to fill the gap. The Washington region had a gross domestic product of $464 billion in 2013, according to the most recent federal data.

Among the “lifeline infrastructure systems” examined in the State of the Region report are the region’s water and wastewater systems, requiring $20 billion in investments over a 15-year horizon; electric and natural gas utilities ($5 billion); roads and bridges ($8.5 billion); and public buildings, including schools, libraries and public safety facilities ($8.5 billion).

Another system highlighted in the report is the region’s public safety communications network, which could require hundreds of millions of dollars of investment in the coming years as it transition from old technology provided over standard telecom networks to a “next generation” 911 system that more resilient and better suited to the growing use of mobile communications devices. More precise costs estimates are expected later this year, the report said.