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The American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2025 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure demonstrates that recent federal investments have positively affected many of the infrastructure sectors Americans rely on every day. As a result, incremental improvements were made across some of the historically lowest-graded categories in the Report Card. Almost half of the 18 assessed categories saw increased grades and contributed to an overall grade improvement from C- to C, which based upon the grading criteria of the study that means, “mediocre, requires attention.” “This is promising momentum, but sustained infrastructure investments are necessary to equip stakeholders with certainty for long-term planning and execution of policies and projects that fully realize the benefits of robust resources,” stated the report. The report, featuring a grading scale of “A to F,” is released every four years to provide a comprehensive assessment of 18 infrastructure categories. “Unfortunately, while significant advancements are being made, we still face a substantial investment gap,” stated the report. “The shortfall grows as existing infrastructure systems continue to age and demands on those systems increase. In addition, passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) has shed light on key issues affecting our industry. Projects should be modernized or replaced by prioritizing resilience to withstand extreme weather. Resilience-focused measures may add to upfront costs but save on sudden, less predictable, and large financial impacts from disaster-related damages. Infrastructure projects take a long time to develop, and stakeholders may hesitate to pursue resilient designs without assurances that current funding levels will be sustained in the future. These are just a few of the challenges we continue to face.” Roads: D+ Vehicle miles traveled have rebounded from COVID-19 pandemic levels as have the number of major roads in poor or mediocre condition. However, driving on deteriorated and congested roads still costs the average driver $1,400 per year in operating costs and lost time. The impacts of extreme weather events present challenges for maintaining roads as well as future projects. According to ASCE, there is a $684 billion funding gap over the next 10 years. Infrastructure investments categorized as “sustained and robust” are needed to maintain and improve the nation’s roadway network. Bridges: C Of the 623,000 bridges in the U.S., 49 per cent are in fair condition, 44 per cent are in good condition and seven per cent are in poor condition. Preserving bridges in fair or good condition will come at a much lower cost than bridges in poor condition. Despite an infusion of $40 billion through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, bridge-related rehabilitation needs are estimated to be $191 billion. Strategic asset management planning and routine maintenance are critical to keep bridges from further decline. Ports: B Of all infrastructure categories, Ports received the highest grade. A surge in consumer-driven economic activity following the COVID-19 pandemic along with recent federal investments nearly doubled annual port funding levels. This has allowed ports, which support nearly 22 million jobs, to better address waterside and landside needs. Unique challenges do exist regarding extreme weather events due to coastal facilities being particularly susceptible to sea level rise. |
