SAN ANTONIO, TX – On Tuesday in Austin, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) revealed its 2025 Texas Infrastructure Report Card.
It serves as a tool that can be used by lawmakers this legislative session to help them use tax dollars in better ways.
If you are anything like me, you tried your best to hide your report card from ever seeing the light of day. But for Texas, there is no hiding this one.
“The 2025 Texas infrastructure report card’s overall grade for the state is a C,” Austin Messerli, co-chair of the report card committee, revealed in a Tuesday press conference.
Texas received a “C” grade on this year’s report card, which has 16 different categories including things like energy, water, and road infrastructure.
And while students, including myself, will tell you “C’s get degrees,” the ASCE defines a “C” as “mediocre and requires attention.”
“Without proper planning and strategic funding for our public infrastructure, we could be strained to a level where there is no longer support for growth and economic opportunities here in Texas,” Steve Ihnen, Austin Contractors & Engineers Association (ACEA) board president-elect, said.
Texas got the same grade in 2021, but some grades in specific areas are significantly different.
The report showed that the state has improved in aviation and road infrastructure, but declined in six areas.
For example: in 2021, Texas got “B+” in energy but this year they got a “C.”
“Winter events like 2021 winter storm Uri and Viola exposed vulnerabilities in the Texas energy system,” Messerli said.
The report also showed that Texas’ water infrastructure is lagging far behind.
Officials recommend that Texas legislators make significant investments this session in continuing to bring Texas forward.
“Now is the time to expand, not cut, spending on infrastructure,” Mark Boyd, president of the ASCE Texas Sector, said.
“Now is the time for the legislature to invest in our children’s future,” Ihnen said.
In 2021, the national infrastructure grade was a “C-.” So, Texas’ “C” is above average.
For more information on this year’s report card, click here.