The West Virginia Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) announced the 2025 Report Card for West Virginia’s Infrastructure, assigning 18 categories of infrastructure a cumulative grade of ‘D+’. This is an upgrade from West Virginia’s ‘D’ grade it received in 2020. However, it is still two steps below the national infrastructure grade of ‘C’ in the 2025 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. While a ‘D+’ is not a grade that we can find acceptable if we want an infrastructure network that can protect our residents and keep businesses operating efficiently. 

However, this represents progress, something that we should be proud of and excited about where we’re headed. This is truly a testament to the work West Virginia leaders have done prioritizing our built environment despite increasingly frequent extreme weather events and a shrinking population, which we rely on for user fees to maintain and upgrade infrastructure assets. 

West Virginia’s 2025 report card added 13 new infrastructure categories, and West Virginia is the first state to release a report card that covers all 18 categories included in the national report card. The 2025 grades are:

The 2025 Report Card for West Virginia’s Infrastructure provides insight needed to start conversations and ignite action to improve the 2025 grades and, as a result, the state’s future by:
 

• Establishing sustained statewide investments to address aging assets, maintenance backlogs, and modernizing infrastructure for future economic and demographic needs. Strengthening access to federal grants can also help address funding issues.
• Ensuring safety is a fundamental priority across all infrastructure systems. This includes, for example, increasing inspection capacity for dams and levees, conducting statewide assessments to identify and prioritize school safety retrofits, and accelerating the replacement of lead service lines in drinking water systems.
• Accelerating efforts to improve the resilience of infrastructure in order to ensure that critical systems can withstand climate-related threats and other hazards.
• Increasing the pace of technology adoption. The state should begin phasing in new and emerging technologies such as improved disposal technologies for hazardous and solid waste, distributed power units for rail, and updated intermodal logistics and cargo handling systems for freight. Prioritizing the implementation of innovative practices across all sectors will enhance system efficiency and safety, reduce lifecycle costs, and strengthen West Virginia’s ability to compete for new economic opportunities.
• Addressing population decline by strategically investing in infrastructure systems that support daily life and shape community vitality, such as broadband systems, transit operations, water systems and more.
   

We need your help to keep infrastructure investment at the top of elected officials’ priorities. Let’s ensure the 2025 Report Card for West Virginia’s Infrastructure drives action for you and your community by contacting your state and federal elected officials today!