Fixing Massachusetts' Infrastructure In today's world, people are looking for ways to help improve the quality of life and the environment around them. These ways can be as simple as recycling or as large as improving infrastructure. One of the major issues in recent years has been the state of infrastructure in Massachusetts, which received a cumulative "D" grade in 2009 from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). By planning, designing, and undertaking new projects, engineers have responded to an infinite number of problems related to the current infrastructure. Massachusetts, despite making numerous efforts in the past to repair crumbling infrastructure, still has a long way to go before it can reach an acceptable score. While this comes at a cost, the state can repair every section of its infrastructure, including public transportation, utilities and bridges, by raising standards, adequately funding projects, and planning and designing the infrastructure itself. Can Massachusetts fix its rapidly declining infrastructure, including public transportation, utilities and bridges, within the next decade? Introduction to the Industry Massachusetts' infrastructure, while not the worst in the country, is in desperate need of attention. Public transportation systems, utilities and bridges are collapsing and causing major problems across the state. In 2009 and 2013, the state received an overall grade point average of a "D," and engineers and state officials, such as Deval Patrick, and national leaders, such as Barack Obama, have made numerous efforts to improve the state's infrastructure. Deval Patrick has published several state bills to improve the m...... middle of paper....... Housekeeper. January 16, 2013. Speech. November 21, 2013. .Anello, Dan. “Report: Nearly 10% of Massachusetts Bridges Structurally Deficient.” The Republican. masslive, June 19, 2013. Web. December 10, 2013. Ritholtz, Barry. "Fixing Infrastructure Can Help Fix the Economy | The Big Picture." www.ritholtz.com. The Big Picture, July 4, 2013. Web. October 20, 2013. “Smarter Cities.” Smarter planet. Np, nd Web. December 6, 2013. “Warren urges America to be more like China.” Newsmax July 31, 2012. General OneFile. Network. November 21, 2013.Wical, Robert. Total energy independence for the United States. New York: iUniverse, 2007. Print."www.engineers.org." Raise the vote in Massachusetts. BSCES and PDF files. November 20th. 2013.