US infrastructure’s ‘report card’ grade improves amid call for focus on resilience

That is according to the latest quadrennial Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, produced by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

US infrastructure’s overall grade improved from a C- to a C, as eight of the 18 assessed categories saw increased grades.

Grades range from a B in ports to a D in stormwater and transit. For the first time since 1998, no report card categories were rated D-. While grades improved in nearly half of the 18 categories, energy and rail were downgraded because of concerns related to capacity, future needs and safety.

The ASCE’s report noted that for more than two decades, US infrastructure received unflattering grades but that the trend began to change in late 2021 with the passing of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

As a result of federal investment in national infrastructure under the IIJA, the performance of transportation, water, energy and waste networks has improved, it noted.

But it warned there is still a “substantial investment gap”, with existing infrastructure continuing to age, as demands on those systems increase.

The report recommended projects should be modernised or replaced with those prioritising resilience to withstand extreme weather. “Resilience-focused measures may add to up-front costs but save on sudden, less predictable, and large financial impacts from disaster-related damages,” it said.