Massachusetts infrastructure’s decay outpaces repairs
According to the Boston Society of Civil Engineers Section’s (BSCES) first-ever release of the 2026 Report Card for Massachusetts’ Infrastructure, the Commonwealth’s aging infrastructure is not being rehabilitated at a sustainable pace. The report card notes that it is two grades below the national infrastructure grade of ‘C’.
Much of the Commonwealth’s infrastructure systems work decades beyond their intended life cycle, with dams averaging 111 years old and bridges 65.
“Massachusetts’ ‘D+’ grade should serve as a call to action that investment is needed now to ensure the Commonwealth has infrastructure systems that are reliable well into the future,” said Boston Society of Civil Engineers Section (BSCES) President Richard A. Matson, PE. “While recent federal and state investment has benefitted families and businesses across Massachusetts, thousands of roads, bridges, pipes, dams, and other infrastructure assets have exceeded their design life by decades.”
