America’s infrastructure is the foundation on which our national economy, global competitiveness, and quality of life depend. While often taken for granted when it is working properly, every American household or business immediately feels the impact of just one inefficiency or failure in our built environment. Our infrastructure includes an interconnected system of highways, streets, public buildings, mass transit, ports, airports, inland waterways, water systems, waste facilities, the electric grid, broadband networks, dams, levees, and other public and private facilities. Maintaining these networks is essential to meet economic demands and protect public health and safety. For American families and businesses to thrive, we need a first-class infrastructure system that moves people and goods safely, sustainably, efficiently, and affordably by land, water, and air; energy transmission systems that deliver clean, dependable, low-cost power; and water systems that reliably and safely drive industrial processes, as well as the daily functions of our communities.

Since 1998, ASCE has issued a quadrennial assessment of the United States’ infrastructure networks, known as the Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. 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. 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