ASCE Bumps Up Texas Roads to a “C–”; Bridges Stay “B–”

The American Society of Civil Engineers has raised the grade on Texas’ roads to a “C–” in its latest Infrastructure Report Card, while bridges stayed at a “B–”. 

The state received an overall “C” for all 16 categories.

The report noted that while the state had driven continued infrastructure investment as its population has rapidly grown in the last four years, the need for expansion, including in transportation, is exponentially putting pressure on existing and aging systems.

ASCE gave out the following grades this year in its 18 categories. (Broadband, hazardous waste, ports and rail were added for the first time in this year’s Texas report.)

• Aviation: B
• Bridges: B-
• Broadband: D+
• Dams: D+
• Drinking Water: D+
• Energy: C
• Hazardous Waste: C+
• Levees: D-
• Ports: C+
• Public Parks: C-
• Rail: C
• Roads: C-
• Solid Waste: C+
• Stormwater: C-
• Transit: D+
• Wastewater: D-

Categories that saw an increase in their grades were aviation and roads. Meanwhile, the six categories that dropped in letter grades were drinking water, energy, levees, solid waste, transit and wastewater.

The ASCE has released the report card every four years since 1998 and uses the following grading scale:

• A: Exceptional, Fit for the Future
• B: Good, Adequate for Now
• C: Mediocre, Requires Attention
• D: Poor, at Risk
• F: Failing/Critical, Unfit for Purpose

Infrastructure is graded based on factors including its capacity to meet current and future demands, current versus needed funding, owners’ ability to operate and maintain structures and the possible consequences of a structure failure.

The ASCE was founded in 1852 and represents over 160,000 civil engineers.

Bridges: A Mixed Bag

This year’s Texas Infrastructure report card highlights both the strengths and successes accomplished in recent years and the growing pressure to meet massive future needs.

Some 42% of the bridges in Texas were built before 1974, and the ASCE says innovative tech would be able to address this. At the same time, the Texas Department of Transportation has managed to reduce the percentage of bridges in poor condition to 1.23% from 1.26% one year ago through proactive measures in public safety and bridge inspection programs. This makes Texas the U.S. state with the third-lowest bridge percentage in poor condition.

Texas has over 56,000 bridges carrying traffic, according to the latest National Bridge Inventory, more than twice the number in any other U.S. state.

The ASCE warns that forecast growth in Texas’ population – up 34% to 40.6 million people by 2050 – will accelerate the deterioration of the state’s bridges and require new, innovative strategies to manage them.

Additionally, the ASCE believes the future funding needs for Texas’ infrastructure will include an estimated $2 billion per year of investment for bridge expansions until 2050 and an estimated $1.8 billion per year to erase the backlog of deficient bridges for the next 10 years. Current funding sources cannot meet these projections.

However, TxDOT is putting notable work toward developing more efficient and quicker bridge building methods. The Research and Technology Implementation Division of TxDOT has budgeted over $30 million (80% federal, 20% state) for continuing research in this arena for fiscal year 2025.

For example, one recent success was the development of partial-depth precast bridge deck panels, eliminating the need for concrete formwork.

As the result of research like this, Texas has the lowest bridge replacement unit cost in the country.

The ASCE outlined the following suggestions for Texas to raise its bridges grade:

• Increase investment in bridge infrastructure. Allocate an estimated $2 billion annually for bridge expansions and $1.8 billion annually to address the backlog of deficient bridges over the next 10 years to meet future capacity demands and maintain the existing network.
• Incorporate resilience as a fundamental criterion in the design of new bridges to withstand future natural disasters and emerging threats to ensure long term durability and safety.
• Increase the number of full-time equivalents (FTEs) available for bridge projects to match the growing size and complexity of required projects.
• Invest in research and implementation of advanced technologies such as AI, machine learning, and digital twins for non-destructive evaluation and efficient management of bridge conditions.
• Continue to focus on public safety by analyzing crash data, conducting regular inspections, and implementing new technologies and methods to enhance the safety and efficiency of Texas roads and bridges.

Roads: Congestion a Problem, But Investment Coming

As with bridges, the ASCE warns that a rapidly growing population represents one of the biggest concerns for the future of Texas’ road infrastructure. However, investments and initiatives from TxDOT are attempting to tackle the problem.

Traffic flow and congestion remain an ongoing issue in Texas, and the state has dedicated notable resources to tackling it, including $37 billion budgeted in 2024-2025 to explore innovative solutions. The state currently has $3 billion dedicated toward safety projects.

By 2035, it is estimated that personal auto traffic will be up 66% compared to 2008, while truck traffic will be up 123%. According to the ASCE, congestion is worsening as Texas’ population growth outpaces its capacity for new construction.

Statewide delays were up 7% in 2023 to 2021, though estimated 2022 delays were 23% lower than 2019 (while total traffic volume rose 2%). However, truck delays were up 15% in 2023 from 2021 levels.

Texas contains 686,281 lane miles, 16 interstate highways and 45 U.S. federal highways.

Texas did raise the percentage of its roads in good or better condition to 89.69% as of fiscal year 2023, its highest in the last 5 years. However, pavement conditions scores were down overall for interstates.

On a positive note, TxDOT is currently assembling its Connecting Texas 2050 plan, which will provide long-term framework, recommendations and objectives for the state’s transportation systems. Additionally, the draft for TxDOT’s 2025 Unified Transportation Program proposes budgeting $104.2 billion over the next 10 years for planned construction projects, up from $100 billion in the 2024 UTP.

The ASCE outlined the following suggestions for Texas to raise its roads grade:

• Increase funding for repairs and maintenance to mitigate the high cost of deteriorated roads. This could involve raising tolls, along with securing additional government funds.
• TX should consider revising the motor fuel tax or exploring using other forms of road user fees to adequately fund roads, highways, and other transportation modes.
• Identifying and implementing sustainable and consistent funding sources for local roadway and transportation projects to adequately fund needs because a significant portion of roads are managed by municipal agencies.
• Creating dedicated cycling infrastructure such as protected bike lanes to separate cyclists from traffic to reduce fatalities.
• Invest in infrastructure to optimize traffic flow, such as high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes to incentivize carpooling, public transportation, sidewalks, bike lanes, and trails. By offering Texans more transportation options, we can reduce reliance on single-occupancy vehicles, mitigate the strain on existing infrastructure, save lives, and reduce harmful emissions.