Let’s Start with the Misconception 

If you say you're a planner, surveyor, or engineer working in critical infrastructure, such as roads, water systems, or power grids, you’ll rarely get the same wide-eyed reaction that a software engineer or biotech innovator might get at a dinner party. 

But here’s the irony: While tech gets the spotlight, infrastructure holds the world together. 

Literally. 

And right now, it’s cracking. Not just in its physical form, but in its talent pipeline. 

It’s time we reframe the story. Civil infrastructure isn’t boring. It’s breathtaking. It’s not outdated, it’s overdue for reinvention. And the people who build it aren’t just planners, surveyors, engineers, technologists, or inspectors, they’re unsung community architects. 

But without a new wave of talent, we risk losing the very people needed to carry that torch. Our industry doesn’t need a rebrand—it needs a renaissance. 

Because while infrastructure may not trend on social media, it quite literally holds society together. It’s where climate adaptation, national resilience, and community engagement meet the real world. And right now, we’re running out of people who know how to build it. 

Infrastructure Is the Unsung Hero of Modern Life 

Let’s define our terms. Critical infrastructure refers to the systems and assets so vital that their disruption would have a debilitating impact on national security, economic security, public health or safety, or any combination of those. We're talking about: 

• Drinking water systems. 

• Airports and transportation networks. 

• Stormwater and wastewater infrastructure. 

• Electric grids and substations. 

• Communication and emergency services. 

These systems are critical not just because they exist—but because they quietly enable everything else to exist. And the velocity of change is accelerating. 

That’s not boring. That’s extraordinary. 

America’s Infrastructure: Trending Up, but Treading Water 

According to the 2025 ASCE Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, the overall national grade has improved from a C- to a C. That’s encouraging—especially given the historic investment of $580 billion made possible through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act (White House Briefing on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, 2021). But let’s not mistake momentum for victory. 

• Nine of the 18 infrastructure categories are still in the “D” range. Stormwater and transit both retain Ds. Roads and wastewater? D+. Levees, dams, and schools? Also scraping by. 

• America’s 10-year infrastructure investment gap still sits at a staggering $3.7 trillion, even if current funding levels are maintained through 2033. 

• If funding snaps back to pre-IIJA levels? The economic impact could hit $5 trillion in lost GDP and over 340,000 jobs lost in a single year. 

So yes, the needle is moving. But the weight behind that movement is immense, and the clock is ticking. 

Infrastructure Isn’t Boring. It’s Existential. 

Woolpert operates at the nexus of these challenges, offering geospatial precision, engineering design, and planning services that help communities adapt and thrive. 

• When we help an airport remain operational through a 100-year flood by retrofitting its drainage network, we’re not just checking a box—we’re safeguarding the economic engine of a region. 

• When we modernize a wastewater treatment plant to meet nutrient reduction targets under stricter environmental regulations, we’re preserving public health and aquatic ecosystems. 

• When we engineer substation expansions to support hyperscale data center development, we enable the infrastructure behind your smartphone GPS, telemedicine appointment, and cloud backup. 

This is where infrastructure shows its teeth. It’s the place where public health, sustainability, economic mobility, and climate resilience intersect. 

The 2025 ASCE Report Card points out that aging infrastructure is increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather events. What used to be unthinkable disasters are now annual line items in capital improvement plans. Designing infrastructure to withstand those risks is no longer optional—it’s urgent. 

The Hidden Emergency: We’re Running Out of Builders 

Here’s where the warning lights really start to blink. The infrastructure workforce is shrinking—and aging fast. 

According to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, nearly 50% of current public sector infrastructure workers are eligible to retire in the next 10 years (Renewing the National Commitment to the Interstate Highway System: A Foundation for the Future, 2019). And in many public agencies, it’s even worse. 

Meanwhile, enrollment in civil engineering programs is stagnating, particularly among underrepresented groups. Less than 20% of U.S. civil engineers are women, and only about 14% are people of color (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Civil Engineering Occupational Outlook, 2025). We're not just lacking numbers, we're lacking variety of thought, perspective, and lived experience. 

And that’s happening at the same time infrastructure needs are exploding. 

We have historic federal investment pouring into the system. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act committed $1.2 trillion, with $550 billion in new spending over five years for water, transportation, broadband, and energy. 

But money doesn’t pour concrete. People do. 

If we can’t attract, train, and retain the workforce to deliver these projects—particularly within the public sector and the firms that support it—this investment won’t meet its full potential. 

In other words, we have the money and we have the need. But we don’t have the people. 

What the Talent Renaissance Looks Like 

The new infrastructure workforce isn’t just about more boots on the ground. It’s about diverse, digitally fluent, interdisciplinary teams who understand that a pump station is as much about community trust as it is about concrete. 

Here’s where we go from here: 

• Make the invisible visible. From airports to aquifers, we need to tell better stories that show how infrastructure touches lives. The ASCE report rightly emphasizes that public understanding and support starts with education and communication. 

• Open the door earlier. Let’s get students into job sites, behind SCADA screens, and inside enterprise asset and work management dashboards before they hit college. Infrastructure shouldn’t be a backup plan; it should be the dream job. 

• Reward cross-discipline collaboration. We need water engineers who think like data scientists, and planners who understand geospatial systems. At Woolpert, we live at that intersection. 

• Champion resilience and sustainability as core values. As the ASCE report reminds us, long-term investment and resilient design must go hand-in-hand. 

What Woolpert Is Doing to Lead 

At Woolpert, we’re not just reacting to the market, we’re reshaping it. 

• Our leadership development framework creates intentional pathways for emerging talent. 

• Our internships and early-career programs focus on real-world problem-solving, not coffee runs. 

• We foster partnerships across aviation, transportation, and water utilities to give our teams exposure to every facet of the infrastructure ecosystem. 

And most importantly, we believe that building infrastructure is a mission, not a job. That belief shows up in the way we mentor, promote, and empower our people—at every level. 

The Call to Action 

If you’re a city manager, program director, high school teacher, or student who’s never heard the term “stormwater utility fee,” this message is for you: 

You are the future of infrastructure. 

We don’t just need more workers—we need more believers. People who understand that laying a pipe is laying the foundation for health, opportunity, and resilience. People who see infrastructure not as a backdrop, but as the stage. 

Critical infrastructure isn’t boring. 

It’s bold. It’s brilliant. And it’s waiting for its next generation of builders.