savoia/iStock
Savvy home buyers know that when they check out a home, they need to look at the fundamentals. Is the foundation sagging? Is there a whiff of rot in the basement? How old is the roof? Hey, is that a water stain spreading on the bedroom ceiling? All of these could hint at big trouble, and bigger expenses, up ahead.
But most people don’t extend that nuts-and-bolts approach to the infrastructure around the house. And yet: How the heck are you going to get to work, or to the grocery store? Is the water drinkable? Are potholes turning into sinkholes, prompting desperate cries of “What the hell happened to my home investment?”
Highways and sewers and electrical grids—oh my! They’re hardly scintillating topics for dinner-party conversation, but they’re essential to everyday life. And to the future value of your home.
But here’s the harsh truth: Infrastructure in the United States is a stark tale of haves and have-nots. Some cities have pristine and modern systems, investing deeply in future projects; others seem to be decomposing from within. The realtor.com® data team set out to separate the best from the rest.
For a seemingly snooze-worthy subject, infrastructure improvement has gotten plenty of attention lately. President Trump used the subject for sure-fire “stand-up-and-cheer” moments at his campaign trail rallies, as he promised to rebuild aging city systems. So far, little has come from his $1 trillion national infrastructure improvement plan, which was billed as relying on public-private partnerships.
But there’s plenty of stuff happening—or in some cases, not happening—on a local level.
“Cities that keep up with infrastructure needs are a big step ahead in attracting home buyers,” says Scott Muldavin, chair of the Counselors of Real Estate, a Chicago-based industry group. The home buyers, he says, “want short commutes, transit options, and quality roads. Time is money, and being near good infrastructure improves home value.”
Employers, too, are clamoring for locations in markets with first-class infrastructure. Good luck competing for the second Amazon headquarters without an airport that doesn’t have direct flights to Seattle!
On our quest to determine America’s best and worst, we looked at the largest 150 metros. We measured:
- Percentage of roads in “good” or “fair” condition
- Percentage of bridges that are “structurally deficient”
- Transit performance score (tracking frequency and breadth of service)
- Airport consumer satisfaction ratings
- Bike friendliness, including bike lane access and public spending
- Per capita government spending on drinking-water systems, electrical grids, highways, public transit, and sewage systems
OK, let’s hit the road(s)! Just watch out for potholes.
Best Cities for Infrastructure
Tony Frenzel
1. Minneapolis, MNMedian home price: $311,300
Infrastructure strength: Everybody get aboard … the excellent light-rail system
Minneapolis, MN
NicholasBPhotography/iStock
“All the light-rail lines are beating projections and breaking ridership records,” says Will Schroeer, executive director of East Metro Strong in Minneapolis, a transit advocacy group. Forget about renting from Avis next time you take a business trip to Minneapolis. Got a meeting at the state’s capital? Just hop on the Metro Green Line from Minneapolis to Saint Paul, dontcha know?
But to get here, the locals had to make a serious commitment to transit. That first light rail came in 2004, with the opening of the Metro Blue Line—a 19-stop system that cost more than $700 million. It led to further investments, and now a fourth line is expected to open in 2019.
The transit system has been a boon for construction and home values, sparking nearby development.
“We’ve had offices, residences, and condos and restaurants pop up along the line,” Schroeer says.
“Home buyers like being within walking distance to light rails that can take them to downtown Minneapolis, the airport, or Mall of America,” says Pat Paulson, a real estate agent at EXIT Realty Metro. “And that has a big impact on property values.”
But let’s say you get the itch to drive. You’re still in luck! The roads are in great shape. As for traffic—what traffic?
“We have a really good highway system,” Schroeer says. “Everyone likes to complain, but we have almost no congestion.”
2. Seattle, WAMedian home price: $485,000
Infrastructure strengths: Pretty much all of it
You have plenty of options to pick up your Amazon Fresh order in Seattle.
SEASTOCK/iStock
Seattle’s infrastructure doesn’t really have a weak spot.
The city has a gold “Bike Friendly Rating” from the League of American Bicyclists. It also has among the highest scores for transit from AllTransit, a firm that specializes in transit data. So Seattle takes its infrastructure seriously, a big part of the city’s success formula, which helped tech giants like Amazon and Microsoft expand, and turned the city into a booming tech hub.
This place isn’t afraid of big projects. It has kicked off plans to move underground a stretch of State Route 99, an above-ground highway weakened by earthquakes. Cool.
“We’re growing with our business community,” says Rebecca Lovell, deputy director of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development. With a steady increase in new residents, “it’s driving us to think creatively about how to accommodate and move them quickly and safely around the city. It’s about figuring out how to access every mode of transportation.”
Indeed, between 2010 and 2015, the city reports that 95% of new commutes have been either via biking, transit, or walking. Or you could drop about $5 to take the ferry service.
3. San Francisco, CAMedian home price: $868,000
Infrastructure strengths: We built this city on rock ‘n’ roll bridges and trolleys
A San Francisco treat
bennymarty/iStock
The San Francisco Bay Area was early to the mass-transit game. San Francisco’s first cable car got rolling in 1873. Then the Bay Area Rapid Transit system launched in the 1950s. Now the issue is maintaining what’s already built—easier said than done.
“We have good bones, but you have to give them calcium,” says Jason Henderson, a professor who specializes in urban mobility at San Francisco State University. “The most [popular] complaint is that the transit is crowded.”
So yes, if you ask BART or Muni Metro (bus) commuters for their thoughts, you’ll get an earful. But the truth is, the system has fewer delays than Boston, Chicago, and New York.
Bonus: While everyone knows San Francisco is home to some of America’s best-known bridges, they’re also among the best-maintained. And you thought the Golden Gate Bridge was just about good looks.
4. Eugene, ORMedian home price: $325,000
Infrastructure strength: A bike mecca
This place is crazy about its bikes, both for fun and work. Eugene has one of the country’s highest rates of bike commuting, nearly double the national rate, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The infrastructure is what really makes Eugene a great place for bikers. Eugene had a city cycling master plan all the way back in the 1970s—and it’s still adding dedicated bike lanes and lots of shared-use bike paths. Just remember to always pass on the left!
Once you dismount, you’ll see that the city has great roads for cars, too—the scenic drives are a plus. (Try Oregon Route 99, you’ll be glad you did.)
5. Salt Lake City, UTMedian home price: $369,900
Infrastructure strengths: Top-of-the-line highways and byways
Salt Lake City International Airport
Lisay/iStock
They say to play to your strengths, and that’s just what Salt Lake City did. About equidistant from Canada and Mexico, and a gateway to the West Coast, the city has built up its infrastructure to make itself a distribution juggernaut. Now the region is something of a shipping and logistics capital for the entire West.
The jewel in the crown came this year, when United Parcel Service started construction on a new distribution center that, when it opens, will have the ability to process 69,000 packages an hour. Wowza!
Regional planning, a great network of roads, and a top airport all helped to give the city a leg up, says Lara Fritts, director of Salt Lake City’s Department of Economic Development.
It also has a good light-rail system that handles nearly 20 million riders annually, helping with short commutes.
“When I moved from D.C. to Salt Lake City, my commute went from two hours to 10 minutes. So now I can enjoy more time in the mountains or the outstanding arts and culture that Salt Lake City is known for,” Fritts says.
Rounding out the top 10 cities for infrastructure are Omaha, NE; Austin, TX; Miami; Chattanooga, TN; and Atlanta.
Got it? Now let’s go to the dark side.
Worst Cities for Infrastructure
Tony Frenzel
1. Harrisburg, PAMedian home price: $192,200
Infrastructure weaknesses: Lousy bridges and lousier roads
Market Street bridge in Harrisburg, PA
drnadig/iStock
You’d think paying the nation’s highest gasoline tax—58 cents per gallon—might get you some good roads. Think again.
Harrisburg’s bridges are in serious need of repair, too. Within a half-mile of downtown, there are around a dozen that are structurally deficient. The most infamous bridge incident occurred back in 1996, when the middle of the Walnut Street Bridge crashed into the Susquehanna River.
The culprit: decades of population declines as manufacturing and steel firms closed. When people leave, so do their tax dollars. This doesn’t mean Harrisburg hasn’t tried to improve its infrastructure. In fact, it has taken on millions in debt to do so.
But talk about unlucky: The region has a pesky sinkhole problem. In 2014, it was determined that more than 50 homes were uninhabitable due to a massive sinkhole under South 14th Street. This month, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced it would make funds available for homeowners in the area who need to relocate. In all, there are around 40 known sinkholes in the city waiting to wreak havoc. Earlier this year, a bus sank into one.
2. Jackson, MSMedian home price: $230,000
Infrastructure weakness: Cruddy pipes
Jackson, MS, faces a water crisis.
DenisTangneyJr/iStock
In 2015, Tony Yarber, Jackson’s mayor, signed an emergency declaration after a series of water-line breaks throughout the city threatened the drinking water supply and water pressure. The same year, lead levels were found to be above the federal guidelines in several water samples. It was enough to garner this headline from the Guardian: “High levels of lead found in Mississippi capital’s water likened to Flint crisis.”
Not cool.
The problem didn’t come out of nowhere: Jackson has struggled for years to keep up on infrastructure upgrades, and now faces an enormous backlog. In 2014, Jackson voters approved a 1% sales tax increase to pay for improvements. It’s projected to raise $300 million over 20 years in a bid to boost everything from water infrastructure maintenance to pothole repair.
3. Trenton, NJMedian home price: $290,000
Infrastructure weaknesses: Foul drinking water, poor energy grid, and decrepit roads
What beats a nice cold glass of lemonade during the summer heat? All you need is lemons, sugar … and boiled water. At least you do in Trenton, where drinking water got so bad this summer that Trenton Water Works had to notify some residents to boil their tap water for at least a minute before drinking it.
The issue stemmed from a plant error that caused chlorine levels to drop, according to The Times of Trenton. Like many other former manufacturing hubs, Trenton has lost population and has fewer funds for repairs.
On the bright side, the city has Amtrak routes to Washington, D.C., and New York. That’s great, because you may not want to drive through the city.
“Almost every street in the city has some kind of pothole,” says Scott Miller, 50, a former environmental engineer who moved here 13 years ago.
4. Providence, RIMedian home price: $347,400
Infrastructure weaknesses: Car-destroying bridges and highways
Providence, RI, roads
georgeclerk/iStock
You’ve looked forward all week to getting your car out of the garage and taking it on a joyride. The only problem is the damn potholes.
The quality of roads in Providence—and most of Rhode Island for that matter—is nothing to brag about. To help improve the situation, the state now uses a machine dubbed a “pothole killer” to more quickly turn ugly potholes into smooth road surface. Each specially outfitted truck can patch about 25 potholes per day.
“The roads aren’t perfect, but we are working on them,” says Joshua Deaner, owner of the Rhode Guide Real Estate Company.
The icing on the (rutted, crumbling) cake? Rhode Island has the highest percentage of “structurally deficient” bridges in the country. Just about one in four bridges is need of repairs or replacement.
5. Huntington, WVMedian home price: $144,900
Infrastructure weakness: Low public investment
Cabell County Courthouse In Huntington
traveler1116/iStock
You could say this region has experienced a rough patch. Situated in coal country, the city has been struggling with a steady drop in the once-mighty trade traffic along the Ohio River.
It’s one of the reasons the city has endured more than 60 years of population declines. And after the 2010 death of favorite son U.S. Sen. Robert Byrd, former chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, the region just doesn’t receive the same level of federal support. That did a number on its infrastructure.
But it’s about to get better. West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice pushed for additional road funding, which state voters overwhelmingly approved this month. This could free up around $1.6 billion for highway projects, including the heavily traveled Interstate 64 between Charleston and Huntington—a road that doesn’t get much local love.
Rounding out the bottom 10 cities for infrastructure are Springfield, MA; Oklahoma City; New Haven, CT; and Virginia Beach, VA.
Sources: AllTransit, Census Bureau, the Department of Transportation/Federal Highway Administration, J.D. Power, the League of American Bicyclists, and TRIP.
The post What Lies Beneath: Cities With the Best—and Worst—Infrastructure appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.
from DIYS http://ift.tt/2h05Fp9
No comments:
Post a Comment