FEDERAL BUILDINGS: Actions Needed to Prevent Further Deterioration and Obsolescence

Reports of deterioration in the United States physical infrastructure such as decaying dams and bridges and overcrowded roads and public transportation systems-have become all too familiar. Mounting evidence suggests that such deterioration may also be occurring in federally owned buildings. For example, the 50-year-old Pentagon needs a billion-dollar renovation to overcome years of neglect. Concerned that the Pentagon may not be an isolated example, the Chairman of the House Public Works and Transportation Subcommittee on Public Buildings and Grounds asked GAO to determine 1 whether other federal buildings are being neglected, 2 whether and how conditions in federal buildings adversely affect tenant agencies and employees, and 3 the major reasons why repair and alteration needs have not been satisfied.