March 27, 2025

By 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.”