CHARLESTON, WV — The West Virginia Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) releases the 2025 Report Card for West Virginia's Infrastructure, 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:
- Solid Waste: C+
- Aviation, Public Parks, Rail, Roads: C-
- Bridges, Broadband, Dams, Drinking Water, Energy, Levees, Ports: D+
- Hazardous Waste, Inland Waterways, Transit, Wastewater: D
- Schools, Stormwater: D-
"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, PE, 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 youngest member involvement ever featured in an ASCE state report card.
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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 percent of its 7,300 bridges in poor condition — much higher than the national average of 6.8 percent 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 percent 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.
