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Funding from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is believed to have directly led to America’s infrastructure receiving its highest-ever grade in the American Society of Civil Engineer’s 2025 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure.
The country’s infrastructure received an overall grade of “C”, with eight of the 18 categories assessed by ASCE seeing grade increases. No categories were rated “D minus or lower for the first time since 1998 – the first time the ASCE issued their report card.
“For more than two decades, the message behind the unflattering grades was consistent: federal, state, and local governments, in addition to the private sector, have not been prioritizing our interdependent infrastructure systems,” the ASCE wrote in the 2025 report card’s executive summary. “In sum, the bill on our infrastructure systems was past due. We needed to reverse the nation’s growing infrastructure investment gap to remain competitive in the global marketplace, allow local businesses to thrive, and keep our families safely connected. That message grew louder with each evaluation, through our most recent Report Card release in early 2021”.
Signed into law on November 15, 2021 and known alternatively as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), the IIJA is the most comprehensive federal investment in the nation’s infrastructure in U.S. history and includes billions for infrastructure projects ranging from public transit to underground wastewater.
“Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the most comprehensive federal investment in the nation’s infrastructure in U.S. history,” the ASCE wrote. “The law included many of the solutions to raise the grades featured in ASCE’s 2021 Report Card, including robust resources for water infrastructure, transportation, and related areas. A few years later, IIJA investments and policy changes are already improving the performance of our transportation, water, energy, and waste networks.”
About the ASCE’s Grading Scale
A – Exceptional, Fit for the Future: The infrastructure in the system or network is generally in excellent condition, typically new or recently rehabilitated, and meets capacity needs for the future. A few elements show signs of general deterioration that require attention. Facilities meet modern standards for functionality and are resilient to withstand most disasters and severe weather events.
B – Good, Adequate for Now: The infrastructure in the system or network is in good to excellent condition; some elements show signs of general deterioration that require attention. A few elements exhibit significant deficiencies. Assets are generally safe and reliable, with minimal capacity issues and minimal risk.
C – Mediocre, Requires Attention: The infrastructure in the system or network is in fair to good condition; it shows general signs of deterioration and requires attention. Some elements exhibit significant deficiencies in conditions and functionality, increasing vulnerability to risk.
D – Poor, at Risk: The infrastructure is in fair to poor condition and mostly below standard, with many elements approaching the end of their service life. A large portion of the system exhibits significant deterioration. Condition and capacity are of serious concern with strong risk of failure.
F – Failing/Critical, Unfit for Purpose: The infrastructure in the system is in unacceptable condition with widespread, advanced signs of deterioration. Many of the components of the system exhibit signs of imminent failure.
Key Findings from the 2025 ASCE Report Card
Almost Half of the 18 Assessed Categories Saw Increased Grades: The categories which received improved grades included Dams (D to D+), hazardous waste (D+ to C), inland waterways (D+ to C-), levees (D to D+), ports (B- to B), public parks (D+ to C-), roads (D to D+), and transit (D- to D).
“This improvement was possible due to the government and private sector prioritizing investments in systems that historically had received little attention,” the ASCE wrote.
Not only was the “B” grade for ports the highest of any sector in the report card; the category’s grade has improved in every report card since the sector debuted with a “C” in the 2013 report card.
Two Categories See Downgrades: Energy and rail earned grades of C- and B, respectively in the 2021 ASCE Report Card. But the sectors fell to D+ and B-, respectively, in 2025.
ASCE wrote that these sectors’ downgrades were due to “concerns related to capacity, future needs, and safety.”
Broadband Debuts at C+: Broadband was introduced as a graded category in 2025, coming in at a C+.
“While the total amount of public spending on broadband is difficult to estimate, the private sector has invested approximately $2.2 trillion in broadband infrastructure since 1996, with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) recently providing an additional $65 billion in federal dollars,” the ASCE wrote. “Yet, broadband access and adoption continue to face several challenges. Estimates show that 10% of households (12.7 million) do not have a broadband subscription, whether at home or on a mobile device. As new investments are deployed to connect the remainder of Americans to broadband, extreme weather poses challenges to internet reliability and new technologies create a rapidly changing environment.”
More Work to Be Done: The ASCE warns that while “significant advancements are being made,” the country’s infrastructure still faces a “substantial investment gap.”
“The shortfall grows as existing infrastructure systems continue to age and demands on those systems increase,” the organization wrote. “In addition, passage of the 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.”
How GPRS Helps Support Infrastructure Improvement Projects
GPRS offers a comprehensive suite of subsurface damage prevention, existing conditions documentation, and construction & facilities project management services designed to help keep infrastructure improvement projects on time, on budget, and safe.
We utilize state-of-the-art technology such as ground penetrating radar (GPR) scanners, electromagnetic (EM) locators, 3D laser scanners, and remote-controlled video pipe inspection crawlers to ensure the integrity of your buried infrastructure and help you avoid subsurface damage when breaking ground. Our in-house Mapping & Modeling Team can visualize the field-verified, accurate data collected by our SIM and NASSCO-certified Project Managers to suit your planning, and operations & maintenance (O&M) needs.
All this information is at you and your team’s fingertips 24/7, accessible via any computer, tablet or smartphone thanks to SiteMap® (patent pending), our project & facility management application that provides accurate existing conditions documentation to protect your assets and people.
What can we help you visualize?
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of informational output is provided when GPRS conducts a utility locate?
Our Project Managers flag and paint our findings directly on the surface. This method of communication is the most accurate form of marking when excavation is expected to commence within a few days of service.
GPRS also uses a global positioning system (GPS) to collect data points of findings. We use this data to generate a plan, KMZ file, satellite overlay, or CAD file to permanently preserve results for future use. GPRS does not provide land surveying services. If you need land surveying services, please contact a professional land surveyor. Please contact us to discuss the pricing and marking options your project may require.
What types of concrete scanning does GPRS offer?
GPRS provides two specific but different scanning services: elevated concrete slab scanning and concrete slab-on-grade locating. Elevated concrete slab scanning involves detecting embedded electrical conduits, rebar, post-tension cables, and more before core drilling a hole through the slab. Performing a concrete slab-on-grade locating service typically involves scanning a trench line for conduits before conducting saw cutting and trenching to install a sanitary pipe, water line, or something similar.
