The Montana Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released the 2024 Report Card for Montana’s Infrastructure today, with 14 categories of infrastructure receiving an overall grade of ‘C-’. This is a decrease from its 2018 Report Card but includes four new chapters, such as ‘Aviation’, ‘Broadband’, ‘Hazardous Waste’, and ‘Rail’. 

Category	2024 Grades
Aviation	C
Bridges	C-
Broadband	Incomplete
Dams	C-
Drinking Water	C
Energy	C-
Hazardous Waste	C-
Public Parks	C-
Rail	C+
Roads	C-
Schools	D
Solid Waste	C
Stormwater	D
Wastewater	C-

The report highlights the current state of Montana’s infrastructure, offering residents and policymakers a tool to engage in conversation about the investment needed to improve and maintain critical infrastructure systems that are crucial to the health and safety of Montanans. The 2021 American Rescue Plan Act contributed more than $900 million total to Montana, $275M of which the state drove into broadband investment, $463M went to water projects, and $150M is attacking the state’s workforce challenges. The momentum from Congress continued with the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which have provided $6.9 billion – a significant uptick in resources across all infrastructure systems in Montana. Despite the progress, IIJA support expires in 2026 and is merely a down payment on substantial and growing needs throughout the state. 

The 2024 Montana Report Card provides insight needed to start conversations and ignite action to improve the 2024 grades and, as a result, the state’s future by:

• Establishing dedicated, long-term funding for critical infrastructure categories;
• Strengthening regulatory frameworks to address emerging challenges; 
• Addressing workforce development to sustain infrastructure progress;
• Prioritizing climate resilience in infrastructure planning and development; and
• Fostering partnerships and political leadership to support collaborative infrastructure solutions.
   

To help ensure that the Montana Report Card is working for you and your community, we need your help keeping investment at the front of legislators’ minds. To keep infrastructure front and center on the legislative priority list, share with your elected officials that our state’s infrastructure challenges are significant but solvable. 

Please take a moment to contact your state and federal elected officials to share the news about Montana’s infrastructure!