The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) reaches its conclusion, as the American Society of Civil Engineers reflects on one of the most consequential infrastructure investments in our nation's history and urges Congress to ensure critical infrastructure investments continue. Enacted in 2021, the five-year, $1.2 trillion law represented a long-overdue response to decades of underinvestment, as underscored by ASCE's Report Card for America's Infrastructure.
The legislation provided historic funding to modernize roads, bridges, transit systems, ports, airports, drinking water networks, wastewater facilities, dams, broadband systems and the electric grid, creating the foundation for safer, more reliable and more resilient infrastructure nationwide.
Since 2021, more than 72,000 infrastructure projects have been funded across the United States, delivering improvements to transportation, water, energy, and waste systems that Americans depend on every day. The law directed $550 billion toward roads and bridges, $90 billion toward public transit, $55 billion for drinking water and lead service line replacement, and $73 billion to strengthen and modernize the electric grid. From the replacement of lead pipes that threaten public health to major bridge rehabilitation projects that improve safety and mobility, communities in every state have benefited from investments that were simply not possible at this scale before the IIJA.
The results were reflected in ASCE's 2025 Report Card for America's Infrastructure. For the first time since ASCE began issuing national Report Cards in 1998, America's infrastructure earned an overall grade of C, improving from a C- in 2021. Eight infrastructure categories improved, including roads, transit, ports, dams, levees, inland waterways, hazardous waste, and public parks. Equally significant, no infrastructure category received a D- grade for the first time in the Report Card's history. While many factors contributed to this progress, ASCE found that federal investments authorized by the IIJA helped spur measurable improvements across multiple infrastructure sectors, demonstrating that sustained investment produces tangible results.
Despite recent gains, the nation's infrastructure challenges remain far from solved. ASCE estimates the United States still faces a $3.7 trillion infrastructure investment gap through 2033, and millions of Americans continue to rely on aging systems that are increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather, population growth, and rising demands. Many of the largest projects funded through IIJA are still under construction, meaning some of the legislation's most significant benefits have yet to be fully realized. Abandoning this momentum now would risk reversing years of progress and increasing costs for future generations.
When America invests in infrastructure, America benefits. As this historic legislation expires, we must not slip back into the old habits that allowed our infrastructure – the backbone of our dynamic economy and society — to decline and deteriorate. ASCE urges Congress and the administration to build upon its success with a new generation of infrastructure investment by finalizing and passing a robust, five-year reauthorization that builds on the generational investments made by the IIJA before the current extension expires.
The nation's engineers have seen firsthand what sustained, reliable funding can accomplish. Now is not the time to step back. We must continue the work of delivering the safe, resilient and modern infrastructure that Americans deserve.
