By: Ben Pickett, Executive Vice President, Business Services Nucor Corporation
For nearly six decades, Nucor has played a foundational role in building America—literally. As the largest steel producer in the United States, Nucor is responsible for more than one-quarter of the nation’s steel production. Roughly half of that steel goes directly into nonresidential construction and infrastructure projects. From coast to coast, our recycled steel has been used in everything from roads and bridges to ports, levees, airports, stadiums, and the energy grid. It’s no exaggeration to say that Nucor steel is the backbone of American infrastructure.
But high-quality infrastructure doesn’t just support our business—it supports the entire economy. Every year, we recycle 20 million tons of scrap metal, and we rely on a robust network of roads, railways, and waterways to move that material to our mills and deliver finished products to customers. Without reliable infrastructure, none of this would be possible.
That’s why we believe it’s just common sense that the materials used to rebuild America should be made in America. Investing in domestic manufacturing and infrastructure isn’t just good for the steel industry—it’s good for our economy, our national security, and our future.
Reshoring Manufacturing Requires Modern Infrastructure
In recent years, there’s been a renewed focus on reshoring manufacturing. In 2025 alone, hundreds of billions of dollars have been committed to bringing advanced manufacturing back to America. This is a promising trend, but it comes with a caveat: we can’t bring manufacturing home if we don’t have the infrastructure to support it.
It’s not just about roads and bridges. Reshoring requires a reliable energy grid, sufficient electricity generation, and modern transmission and pipeline networks. Without these, new manufacturing facilities can’t operate at full capacity—or at all.
A Long-Term Commitment to Infrastructure
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) was a strong first step toward rebuilding our outdated infrastructure. But one-time funding isn’t enough. We need a long-term, sustained commitment to infrastructure investment if we’re serious about building a modern economy.
Earlier this year, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave America’s infrastructure a grade of “C.” While that’s an improvement from previous years, it’s still mediocre—and mediocrity isn’t good enough. Our country can’t compete globally with average infrastructure. We should be aiming for A’s across the board.
We all have a role to play in advocating for better infrastructure. That means urging our elected officials to prioritize long-term funding and planning. It also means supporting policies that streamline the permitting process so that critical projects don’t get bogged down in red tape.
Real-World Impact: Infrastructure That Matters
Nucor’s steel has been used in countless infrastructure projects that have improved America’s competitiveness, security, and quality of life. Our Nucor-Yamato mill in Arkansas produces structural steel beams for bridges, schools, hospitals, stadiums and more. After Hurricane Katrina, our steel was used to help rebuild the levee system around New Orleans—an essential project for the city’s resilience. More recently, our steel has been used in the construction of the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and the One World Trade Center in New York.
New airport terminals in San Francisco, Cincinnati, Columbus, JFK, and LaGuardia used Nucor steel in their construction. Aviation infrastructure is vital to our economy and our daily lives, yet it received a D+ on the ASCE’s latest report card. That’s unacceptable. We’re proud to contribute to the future of aviation, but we know there’s still a lot of work to do.
What’s Next: A Smarter Surface Transportation Bill
Looking ahead, the reauthorization of the surface transportation bill is a critical opportunity. We believe it should maintain the higher funding levels established by the IIJA and include reforms to streamline permitting. Projects take far too long to get off the ground, which drives up costs and delays progress. We can fix this without compromising safety or environmental standards.
America’s future depends on strong infrastructure. Let’s build it—together.
