KERN COUNTY’S INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVES

A new report card from the American Society of Civil Engineers gives Kern County’s infrastructure a “C”, up significantly from the “D+” grade we got six years ago.

The report’s chairman Daniel Cronquist says that’s because the Thomas Roads Improvement Project has spent $1.4 billion on roads and new bridges, including the Westside Parkway and several railway crossings. Most of that construction has been in Bakersfield.

But we got low marks for park maintenance and public transportation ridership.

Kelli Pierce