In a deeply divided America, infrastructure investment appears to be a rare area of political consensus. Donald Trump called for a major road-and-bridge program in his victory speech. Even House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi—opposed to nearly everything else for which Trump stands—has promised to “work together to quickly pass a robust infrastructure jobs bill.” Most Americans seem to want infrastructure, as well. Surveys from Gallup and Public Policy Polling have found more than 70 percent of Americans favor increased spending on roads, bridges, rail, and the like.

But for all this apparent consensus, there is little evidence of an obvious infrastructure crisis, much less a clear solution. The piece of evidence most often cited to establish the need for more investment in major civil-engineering programs comes from a series of increasingly dire report cards issued by the American Society of Civil Engineers, but they can hardly be called an objective party. In fact, the bulk of the evidence shows America’s infrastructure is getting better.