The Virginia section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released the 2026 Report Card for Virginia's Infrastructure, assigning the Commonwealth's infrastructure a grade of 'C'.
The grade is unchanged from the 2022 Virginia report card and matches the grade on ASCE's 2025 Report Card for America's Infrastructure. A 'C' grade means Virginia's infrastructure is in mediocre condition and requires attention.
The report covers 13 categories of infrastructure: bridges, broadband, dams, drinking water, energy, public parks, rail, roads, schools, solid waste, stormwater, transit and wastewater.
Four infrastructure categories (bridges, rail, roads, solid waste and stormwater) saw grades increase, while only two categories (dams and schools) saw grades drop compared to the 2022 report card. Additionally, 11 of the 13 infrastructure categories received an equal or higher grade than their national counterparts. Only Virginia's energy and rail infrastructure had grades lower than the national category grades.
The report finds that infrastructure systems that have received consistent, reliable, dedicated funding sources are showing steady improvement and are seeing additional benefits from short-term investment programs like the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). However, with funding from the IIJA expiring in September, future improvements are in jeopardy if investment reverts to pre IIJA levels. Additionally, the report card found infrastructure sectors where funding has been inconsistent are not improving and face challenges in the future.
"Infrastructure investment works and leads to better economic outcomes for Virginia families and businesses," said John Harman, P.E., chair of the 2026 Report Card for Virginia's Infrastructure. "This report card reveals the consequences of decades of underinvestment, along with the improvements Virginians are seeing because of recent investment by federal, state and local leaders. Safe, reliable, modern infrastructure is key to attracting people, businesses, and jobs to the Commonwealth."
This is the first time ASCE has released a grade for Virginia's energy, which came in at a 'D', lower than the national energy grade of 'D+'. Energy use in Virginia is forecast to double by the year 2039, in large part because of data centers and other facilities with high energy demands. Virginia's electric infrastructure faces a looming capacity crisis; the Commonwealth is the nation's largest importer of out-of-state electricity with 36 percent of energy consumed in Virginia generated in other states. Additionally, 56 percent of electricity consumed in the state is for commercial use, compared to 35 percent nationally.
Bridges is one of two categories to receive a 'B+' on the 2026 report card, an increase from a 'B' in 2022. While there has been progress to keep bridges in good or fair condition, many of the state's bridges are near or approaching the end of their design life. The report card found 58 percent of bridges are more than 50 years old.
Roads in Virginia improved to a 'C' on the 2026 report card, up from a 'C-' in 2022. The state's busiest highways are well maintained, with 91 percent of interstate highways and 82 percent of high-volume primary roads in fair, good or excellent condition. High volume secondary roads also saw substantial improvements over the last few years, with 82 percent in fair or better condition in 2024, compared with 60 percent in 2020.
Virginia's water infrastructure received higher grades than the national report card. Drinking water received a 'C+', compared to the national 'C-' grade, and the state's stormwater grade of 'C' is a whole letter grade higher than the national average of 'D'.
The report card includes five recommendations to raise Virginia's infrastructure grade, they include:
• Investment: Increased investment is needed to meet growing demands driven by population growth and more intense storm events. Targeted funding will help ensure infrastructure can continue to operate safely and reliably under increasing stress.
• Resilience: Recent storms have demonstrated Virginia's resilience while highlighting the need for the state to prepare for future events, including updating emergency action plans for all departments and municipalities.
• Safety: Strengthening dam inspection programs and adopting comprehensive roadway safety strategies will be essential to reducing risks and improving public safety statewide.
• Capacity: Added capacity for aging water-related infrastructure is critical, especially as population growth continues. Many systems are past their design life cycle and need upgrades, which will help to address water quality, flooding, and erosion concerns.
• Technology: Relying on improving technologies such as green infrastructure and artificial intelligence (AI) will help to stretch limited funding and ensure investments are made efficiently.
The report card is a public service to inform citizens and policymakers about the infrastructure needs in Virginia. ASCE state report cards are modeled after the Report Card for America's Infrastructure, which is released once every four years.
To read the full report, visit infrastructurereportcard.org/virginia
