Deferred Maintenance and Its Impact on Communities

Deferred maintenance issues build slowly, day-by-day, use-by-use, inch-by-inch. That’s what makes them so easy to put off until tomorrow. There is always more “important” work to do.

But all it takes is one too many bygone tomorrows for a significant failure with dire repercussions for communities and serious financial implications for the entities that own and manage the damaged assets.

This eBook examines the problem of deferred maintenance in the context of the 2025 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Report Card For America’s Infrastructure, considers ways to identify deferred maintenance issues early and explores options for addressing them quickly.

Topics Include:

• The state of U.S. roads, bridges, schools and water infrastructure  
• The importance of data collection and management for monitoring deferred maintenance 
• How alternative construction procurement can help address deferred maintenance with fewer resources