U.S. infrastructure scores near-failing grades for its deteriorating roads, public transit and storm water systems due to years of inaction from the federal government, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Its recently released 2021 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure assigns an overall grade of C-, which at least reflects improvement over the D+ grade from the 2017 report card, the last one issued, and is the highest overall grade in 20 years.

The long-term infrastructure investment gap continues to grow, increasing from $2.2 trillion over 10 years in Source: ASCEthe last 2017 report to $2.59 trillion in the latest study, meaning a funding gap of nearly $260 billion per year.

Of the 17 categories making up the overall grade, 11 were in the D range that indicated a significant deterioration with a strong risk of failure. These include public transit, storm water infrastructure, airports and roads and highways, which make up the biggest chunk of U.S. infrastructure spending at $1.6 trillion.

The report includes recommendations for increasing investment and strengthening the resilience of the national infrastructure.