Michigan's infrastructure gets low grades in new report

While our roads and bridges are improving, Michigan's "mediocre" infrastructure still needs major improvements, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) latest report card.

Driving the news: Michigan's C- is the same as the nation’s overall grade and is an upgrade from the D+ the state received in 2018.

• Grades for drinking water, stormwater, rail, roads and schools improved while grades for bridges and energy infrastructure got worse.

Details: The energy grade dropped from a C- in 2018 to a D as leaders from DTE and Consumers Energy have said they are working to improve reliability amid severe weather conditions and blackouts last winter.

• Of Michigan's 11,314 bridges, approximately 1,269 (11%) are in poor condition. That's stable from 11% in 2018 but higher than the 7.5% national average.

What they're saying: "A C- means our infrastructure is in mediocre condition and requires attention," Brad Ewart, president of the ASCE's Michigan section, said in a statement.

• The ASCE wrote it would take a near $4 billion investment to get Michigan’s infrastructure report card to an A.

The big picture: The state must implement sustainable and long-term funding solutions, address workforce challenges and prioritize resilience and reliability, engineers wrote.