The Minnesota Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has released its 2026 report card on the state of Minnesota’s infrastructure. For the current period our state has earned a “C”, which signifies that our infrastructure efforts are “mediocre, and require attention”, according to the report.
Bolstered by a strong $2.6B bonding bill in 2023, public investments in roads, bridges, wastewater, and drinking water have provided some positive momentum to maintain and improve state assets that underlie Minnesota’s quality of life. But despite these successes, our array of public infrastructure assets – underpinning virtually every aspect of life and our economy – continues to age and deteriorate. The effects of age, population movements, and more extreme weather continue to outpace our ability to maintain public infrastructure. Time moves us back while we struggle to move forward. We must maintain stable and predictable sources of funding so our dollars have the most performance. This also means providing opportunities and support to MGEC members as we continue our work to support public infrastructure.
The grade is based on performance indicators in nine categories, including aviation, bridges, dams, drinking water, energy, ports, roads, transit, and wastewater. Our best grades in the report are focused in aviation and public parks with a “B-“; the worst area, perhaps unsurprisingly, is roads with a “D+”.
To view the report, visit the ASCE website here.