North Carolina's infrastructure gets a C- in a new report card from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
The report card's authors looked at the condition of stormwater, wastewater, dams, roads, bridges, drinking water, and aviation.
One area of concern is making sure water utilities can expand as the state continues to add thousands of new residents every year.
"Much of the existing water distribution infrastructure is at or near the end of its service life," said ASCE North Carolina president Pat Gilmartin at a Jan. 21 press conference in Raleigh. "Many smaller water utilities generate most of their revenue from monthly water bills and may not have the funding available for large capital projects."
North Carolina dams earned a D+ on the report card, with an estimate of $6 billion to repair them. Hurricane Helene damaged more than 40 dams in the western part of the state in 2024; many communities are still waiting for repairs or replacements.
State Environmental Secretary Reid Wilson said help from the federal government is on the way. "In the coming weeks, we will make announcements about awards of $7.4 million to dam repair projects on the mountains," he said at the press conference. "And not long from now, we'll open up another round of applications for an additional $2.6 million for dam repair in the mountains."
Wilson acknowledged those funding announcements are nowhere near enough to address damage from Helene "I've been to Chimney Rock a few times, both before and after the storm," he said. "That town needs a new dam, and estimates are that it could cost as much as $100 million or more."
The ASCE gave roads and bridges a C-. Gilmartin, the group's president, said most highways are in great shape. He also noted that the state has set aside more funding for bridge upgrades over the past decade. However, he noted that gas tax revenue, a primary funding source for highway projects, is declining as more drivers switch to hybrid and fully electric vehicles.
"In addition to this, high labor and material costs are making construction projects more expensive and forcing leaders to make difficult choices about where limited funding is spent," he said.
Patrick Wilson, chief engineer for the North Carolina Department of Transportation, acknowledged the funding challenges. The state received much-needed transportation funding from President Biden's 2021 infrastructure law and a decision by state lawmakers to allocate sales tax revenue for transportation projects. "So, in order to continue the recent trends of improvement, we will anticipate more funding needs before the year 2030," he said at the press conference.
North Carolina airports received a grade of C- in the ASCE report card. The authors noted that the aviation system generates $88 billion in economic impact for the state as passenger numbers rise at major gateways like Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte-Douglas international airports. The report noted that flight delays are increasing and there's a strain on air traffic staffing. ASCE called for investments to increase airport capacity and improve passenger safety.
