The Boston Society of Civil Engineers Section (BSCES) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released its inaugural Infrastructure Report Card in 2026, delivering data-driven evaluation of statewide physical systems. Civil engineers, academia and industry experts volunteered countless hours to analyze publicly available data to evaluate our infrastructure against the nationally standardized ASCE grading rubric in seven core categories. Massachusetts’ infrastructure is approaching a critical turning point as aging assets, decades of underfunding, and increasingly extreme weather are increasingly straining systems, notwithstanding the exceptional expertise, maintenance efforts, and recent funding achievements of public agencies.
The Commonwealth benefits from a robust tax base and a highly-educated populace, yet it’s one of the oldest built and most challenging maintenance environments in the United States. The findings across this report reflect a structural funding deficit and assets performing well past the engineered lifespan. Massachusetts possesses the oldest bridge inventory in the nation and an estimated $1 billion annual funding gap over the next decade. Similarly, nearly half of the Commonwealth’s monitored dams have exceeded their 75-year design life, while municipal roads, stormwater systems, drinking water networks, and wastewater systems face chronic capital shortfalls and workforce shortages.
Furthermore, climate change is an active operational disruptor and compounds maintenance challenges. Intense precipitation events, rising sea levels, and severe winter weather are actively overwhelming undersized municipal culverts, legacy combined sewer systems, and vulnerable coastal transit lines. Stormwater runoff now stands as the leading cause of surface-water impairment statewide, while the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) navigates a staggering $24.5 billion State of Good Repair backlog for transit related projects alongside federal safety oversight.
The Report Card for Massachusetts Infrastructure aims to raise public awareness of the importance of modern and well-maintained infrastructure. To improve the infrastructure grade and safeguard public health, equity and economic vitality, Massachusetts must move past temporary funding supplements to establish predictable and sustainable funding structures. Maintaining our shared infrastructure is an inherent civic responsibility of our Commonwealth.
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Massachusetts Infrastructure Grades
A: Exceptional, B: Good, C: Mediocre, D: Poor, F: Failing
Each category was evaluated on the basis of capacity, condition, funding, future need, operation and maintenance, public safety, resilience, and innovation
Bridges
Massachusetts’ 5,311 bridges are critical for mobility and freight movement in the Commonwealth. However, these vital links are aging and now average 65 years old. While most bridges remain serviceable, the Commonwealth faces growing maintenance and safety challenges: 24.3% of bridges are in good condition, 66.3% are in fair condition, and 9.4% are in poor condition. Another 459 bridges have posted load restrictions, and 44 are closed. As of 2024, Massachusetts had the oldest bridge inventory nationally and ranked third-worst for poor bridge area on the National Highway System. Over the past decade, bridge closures increased by 27%, while weight postings rose by 4%, underscoring the urgency of sustained investment.
Recent federal funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and state support through Chapter 90 have provided important resources. However, MassDOT estimates that $1 billion in annual bridge funding will be needed for the next 7 to 10 years to address the growing backlog.
Dams
Massachusetts dams provide water supply, enable flood control, produce hydropower, and support fire safety and recreation. There are 2,829 dams along 8,000 miles of river; 45% publicly owned and 55% privately owned. About 50% are regulated by Massachusetts, while Approximately 47% of smaller dams are not regulated, which are now aging in place, and creating a higher risk for failure.
Among the state regulated dams, 297 dams are classified as high-hazard potential, 12% are in poor condition, and 3% are in unsatisfactory condition. Of dams listed in the National Inventory of Dams (NID), 49% (658) dams have exceeded their 75-year design life. Despite these risks, Massachusetts has a strong oversight program for compliance including emergency action planning; 98% for high-hazard dams and 84% significant-hazard dams.
Given the rise of more floods and intense precipitation events, aging and obsolete dams pose higher safety risks, reinforcing the need for increased funding for dam safety and removal projects and resilience programs.
Drinking Water
Massachusetts has over 1,700 public water systems supplied by over 3,700 public drinking water wells and 250 surface water supplies that serve over 90% of the state’s population. Drinking water system capacity and aging water mains are primary concerns for communities facing supply limitations due to contamination or other impacts. Massachusetts’ water supplies are also vulnerable to climate change, which can impact supply capacity and quality. Limited funding prevents most water suppliers from keeping up with water main replacement, which can cause pipe failures, leakage, and reduced capacity for fire flow. Lead service lines also exist in older, urban communities, as well as in some suburban communities. Sustained funding for drinking water is needed to ensure reliable and safe drinking water for residents and businesses into the future. Therefore, the state legislature should prioritize establishing the Water Sector Workforce Development Fund to address the shortage of licensed water system operators in the state.
Roads
Massachusetts has one of the oldest roadway systems in the United States. Of the Commonwealth’s 76,829 lane-miles, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) owns and maintains 9,526 lane miles, about 12.4%, of the total public lane miles. The remaining lane-miles in Massachusetts are owned and maintained by the municipalities, by government agencies such as the Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR), the National Park Service, or are privately owned and maintained. State agencies take a data-based approach to managing its roadway systems and MassDOT facilitates a series of policy-targeted funding programs to invest in capital and maintenance projects.
However, the Commonwealth faces historic levels of aging assets, funding shortages, and harsh winter weather conditions. Decades of inadequate funding, increased vehicle miles traveled (VMT), accelerated storm damage from climate change, workforce shortages, increases in construction costs, and maintenance backlogs have led to the degradation of road conditions and slowed delivery of planned transportation improvement projects.
Stormwater
The Massachusetts’ stormwater system remains functional but continues to be increasingly strained. Much of the infrastructure was built to outdated standards that do not account for current development, regulatory requirements, or more intense rainfall. Aging assets, undersized culverts, and legacy combined sewer systems contribute to flooding, infrastructure damage, and pollutant discharges—challenges compounded by climate change. Stormwater runoff is the leading cause of surface-water impairment statewide, degrading rivers, lakes, and coastal waters and contributing to beach closures and public health risks. Many older developed areas lack modern stormwater controls, allowing unmanaged runoff to persist. Operation, maintenance, and funding vary widely across communities, and regulatory demands continue to expand without a dedicated statewide funding source.
Massachusetts faces an estimated $20 billion stormwater investment gap over the next 20 years. Without sustained investment, updated standards, and coordinated action, risks to public safety, water quality, and resilience will continue to grow.
Transit
Transit in Massachusetts is defined by statewide coverage provided by the Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs), and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) subway, bus and commuter rail system. Transit is a major priority in Massachusetts, with recent progress including the elimination of MBTA subway slow zones, safety culture improvements, Green Line and Commuter Rail expansions, real-time transit tools, and bike-share growth to improve first- and last-mile connections.
However, public transit systems in Massachusetts face significant challenges due to aging infrastructure, historic underfunding, and altered post pandemic ridership patterns. The MBTA continues to face major maintenance, staffing, and financial challenges, facing a $24.5 billion State of Good Repair backlog. While state funding has supported fare-free service at several RTAs, capital constraints have forced some agencies to operate paratransit and demand-response vehicles beyond their useful life. The Commonwealth must transition away from temporary funding measures and establish permanent, sustainable funding mechanisms that accelerate modernization, expand workforce, adapt to our changing climate and provide regional equity.
Wastewater
Like many other states with older cities and towns, wastewater system capacity is a concern in Massachusetts due to aging sewer system infrastructure. Failing pipes and deteriorating structures allow excessive infiltration and inflow that can compromise capacity leading to backups and overflows. The Commonwealth’s sewer systems are also vulnerable to climate change, which can exacerbate these conditions and threaten public health and water quality. Investment needs continue to grow as communities struggle to keep up with sewer system maintenance needs. Massachusetts has 19 communities with combined sewer systems that have federal requirements to reduce combined sewer overflows (CSOs). Unfortunately, CSO reduction projects can be very costly. Similarly, wastewater treatment plant discharge permit renewals require reductions in pollutant concentrations to improve the quality of receiving waters, and the associated projects to improve treatment are just as costly. Sustained funding is needed in Massachusetts to allow system owners to maintain reliable wastewater systems that continue to protect public health and the environment.
48 miles of levees protect $4.9 billion of property.
State Fact Sheet
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5,311
Bridges
9%
of Bridges are Deficient
336
High Hazard Dams
$37.2B
in Drinking Water Needs
52 Miles
of Levees
Protecting 73,200 people
49%
of Roads in poor or fair condition
$ 776
Motorist pays annually
due to insufficient infrastructure
284.1M
Passenger Trips on Public Transit
$38.3B
Wastewater needs
$11.1B
Total storm damage
(1980-2024)
IIJA Grants
IIJA Funding Announced
Number of IIJA Projects
Sagamore Bridge Replacement: This $1.4 billion award will replace the nearly 90-year-old Sagamore Bridge, resulting in improved structural integrity, increased seismic resilience, and continued reliable access to Cape Cod.
Roxbury Transportation Corridor: This $20 million award will reconstruct and upgrade three corridors in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood and build a dedicated bus corridor, resulting in safer streets, improved active transportation options, and affordable transit access, while leveraging sensors and data technologies to enhance corridor performance.
Electric Bus Acquisition: This $116 million award will purchase new electric buses to replace older diesel models and launch a workforce development program, resulting in cleaner transit, reduced emissions, and improved training and safety for operators.
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