Lane Kimble

Finding a C on a report card might not thrill most parents, but that grade actually marks a slight improvement for the United States’ infrastructure systems.

The American Society of Civil Engineers released its 2025 “Report Card for America’s Infrastructure” this week, noting the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s investments have done a lot to bolster the system.

The C grade is based on a cumulative “GPA” across 18 categories, including roads, bridges, aviation, dams, rail, transit and more.  It was up from an overall C- in 2021, the last time ASCE released its quadrennial report.

Roads fared worse than most categories, scoring a D+.  ASCE’s report blamed that, in part, on maintenance and rehab not keeping up with more people driving more miles, too many deadly crashes, and the need to invest more in climate-resilient highways.  (Bridges scored a C, Ports a B, and Dams and Levees both received a D+)

“If we maintain investments, each American household can save $700 per year,” ASCE Report Card Chair Darren Olson told AASHTO.  “Better infrastructure is an efficient investment of taxpayer dollars that results in a stronger economy and prioritizes American jobs, resilience and connectivity.”

Despite the BIL’s more than $1 trillion investment in projects, inflation has cut into its impact, often helping states like Wisconsin simply keep up with projects instead of creating a groundswell of new ones.  Still, the five-year investment has been critical, experts say – as is the need to reauthorize it in 2026.

“As the Report Card makes clear, there is still a great need for sustained investments,” ASCE President Feniosky Pena-Mora said.  “Delaying upgrades to our nation’s roads, bridges, transit and utilities will cost families and businesses time and money, in addition to creating unsafe yet often avoidable situations.”

GREEN BAY, Wis. — A Wisconsin bridge needs a “vulnerability assessment” following the deadly Key Bridge crash in Baltimore last year.

The National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday listed the Leo Frigo Bridge in Green Bay as one of 68 bridges across 19 states needing the assessment to see if it’s at risk of collapse from a ship collision.

CBS News was one of the first news outlets to cover the report. You can read the NSTB’s report and find a full list of the bridges HERE.

The NTSB recommendation lists the Leo Frigo Bridge as “critical/essential,” meaning it serves as an “important link” in Wisconsin’s transportation system. Other bridges on the report include the Golden Gate Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge.

Six construction workers died March 26, 2024 when a huge container ship lost power and crashed into the Key Bridge’s piling, sending the structure into the water.

The NTSB found that had Maryland’s Transportation Authority conducted a vulnerability assessment on the Key Bridge based on the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials’ recommendation, they would have found the bridge was “above the acceptable risk” and could have proactively reduced said risk, potentially saving lives.

It’s worth noting the report does not suggest the bridges on the list are at imminent risk of collapsing, but should all be evaluated for their level of risk, CBS News reports.

The Leo Frigo Bridge opened in 1981 and carries I-43 over the Fox River in Green Bay.

WisDOT temporarily closed the bridge in 2013 when a 400-foot stretch sagged.

Crews most recently painted the steel arch and girders and added lights to improve safety inspections in 2023.