CHARLESTON, W. Va. – The West Virginia Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released the 2025 Report Card for West Virginia's Infrastructure today, assigning 18 categories of infrastructure a cumulative grade of ‘D+’, an improvement from the section’s 2020 report but below the national grade of ‘C’ in the 2025 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. The improved grade is reflective of record levels of federal investment being given to the state from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), but a ‘D+’ does not meet the needs of West Virginia residents and businesses. Significant funding gaps, weakening user fees from a shrinking population, assets aging beyond their intended design lives, and increasingly frequent extreme weather events putting strain on the infrastructure network are leading factors behind the ‘D+’ grade.
West Virginia’s dams, drinking water and roads grades improved compared to their 2020 marks, while bridges and wastewater remained the same.
Grades for each category are below:
Grade Categories
C+ Solid Waste
C- Aviation, Public Parks, Rail, Roads
D+ Bridges, Broadband, Dams, Drinking Water, Energy, Levees, Ports
D Hazardous Waste, Inland Waterways, Transit, Wastewater
D- Schools, Stormwater
"Our infrastructure systems are seeing improvements here in West Virginia and progress should be applauded for our dedicated state leaders that are implementing new programs and technologies to address our state’s needs,” said Tabitha Lafferre, P.E., ASCE West Virginia Section President. “However, a ‘D+’ grade is not where we want to be. Infrastructure connects communities and our workforce, moves goods across the state and region, keeps the heat on in the winter and clean water coming through our faucets. The safety and prosperity of our state depend on continued dedication to improving our infrastructure.”
The 18 categories covered in the report are the most of any ASCE state report card, making it the first to align with every chapter in the national report. The West Virginia Report Card was led by engineering professionals and thought leaders in the state and featured research contributions from more than 50 Fairmont State University students, the most younger member involvement ever featured in an ASCE state report card.
West Virginia’s falling population statewide presents challenges for utility operators, who face higher operations and maintenance costs due to the rising cost of labor and materials, while revenue from customers continue to decrease. These falling revenues are particularly impactful as much of the state’s infrastructure is approaching or past its design life, and existing assets need to be modernized to become more resilient to weather challenges.
The state’s bridge network is aging, with 19% of its 7,300 bridges in poor condition – much higher than the national average of 6.8% of bridges in poor condition. West Virginia’s bridges have benefited from the IIJA, which has provided $548 million in bridge funds over the five-year course of the law. The roads grade improved to a ‘C-’ due to more than $3 billion from the IIJA being dedicated to roadway improvements. Congestion rates have nearly doubled in the past 40 years and the state’s roadway fatality rate of 16.6 per 100,000 exceeds the national average of 12.9.
Drinking water systems, which improved from a ‘D’ to a ‘D+’, face more than $1 billion in maintenance and modernization needs, underscored by significant treated water losses due to leaking pipelines. The state’s overall network has improved reliability as larger utilities have absorbed more than 160 failing smaller systems. Wastewater systems are falling behind, as only 47% of West Virginians are served by regulated sewer utilities and the state ranks first nationally in clean water infrastructure needs per capita at $6,182. State leaders made progress by committing $106 million to wastewater projects in recent years, but $3.6 billion is still needed for repairs, expansion and upgrades.
The report includes recommendations to improve the grade:
• Establish 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.
• Ensure safety is a fundamental priority across all infrastructure systems. This includes 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.
• Accelerate efforts to improve the resilience of infrastructure to ensure that critical systems can withstand climate-related threats and other hazards.
• Increase 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.
• Address 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.
The report card was created as a public service to inform citizens and policymakers about the infrastructure needs in West Virginia. Civil engineers use their expertise and school report card-style letter grades to condense complicated data into an easy-to-understand analysis of West Virginia’s infrastructure network. ASCE State report cards are modeled after the Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, which is released once every four years.
About the American Society of Civil Engineers
Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers represents more than 160,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America's oldest national engineering society. ASCE works to raise awareness of the need to maintain and modernize the nation's infrastructure using sustainable and resilient practices, advocates for increasing and optimizing investment in infrastructure, and improve engineering knowledge and competency. For more information, visit www.asce.org or www.infrastructurereportcard.org and follow us on Twitter, @ASCETweets and @ASCEGovRel.