US infrastructure improves, but cuts may imperil progress, report says

Increased federal spending in recent years has helped to improve U.S. ports, roads, parks, public transit and levees, according to a report released Tuesday by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

But that progress could stagnate if those investments, some of which were put on hold after President Donald Trump took office in January, aren’t sustained.

Overall, the group gave the nation’s infrastructure a C grade, a mediocre rating but the best the country has received since the group’s first report card in 1998. Most infrastructure, including aviation, waterways and schools, earned a C or D grade; ports and rail did better. The group also projected a $3.7 trillion infrastructure funding shortfall over the next decade.

The report, which is now released every four years, has long noted that the United States spends too little on infrastructure. But that started to change in 2021, the group said, thanks to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which authorized $1.2 trillion in funding under President Joe Biden. That investment is showing results, with grades having improved since the last report, in 2021, for nearly half the 18 categories that the group tracks.

But in January, Trump froze much of the funding under that law and another aimed at addressing climate change, pending a review by his agencies. That halted a variety of programs, including those intended to help schools, farmers and small businesses.

The nation’s ports received the highest grade of any form of infrastructure, a B, indicating that they are generally safe, reliable and in good condition. Rail received a B—, a decline from its B in 2021.

Bridges, broadband, drinking water systems, hazardous waste treatment, inland waterways, public parks and solid waste received grades of C+, C or C—, reserved for infrastructure that is in mediocre condition and needs attention. Dams, levees, roads, schools and infrastructure for aviation, energy, stormwater, transit and wastewater received grades of D+ or D, indicating that they are in poor condition.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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