According to an organization whose members make money from building public-infrastructure projects, Virginia needs to spend a lot more money on public-infrastructure projects. The American Society of Civil Engineers gives Virginia a grade of D+ for the condition of its roads, bridges, dams, water systems, schools, and so on. That puts Virginia slightly ahead of the national curve, which gets a D from the organization. It wants to see a five-year investment of $2.2 trillion.

Virginia’s barely adequate infrastructure needs comprehensive planning and reliable funding to remedy years of neglect, according to a state engineers group. The condition of Virginia’s public infrastructure rates only a D-plus, the Virginia Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers said in a report card analysis. “Despite the important role infrastructure plays in our daily lives,“ the report said, “Virginia’s roads, water systems, schools and other critical foundations are underfunded, and in many cases, sliding toward failure.“

As Chesterfield County launches its first attempt to comprehensively shape countywide growth, the full force of decades of liberal development has yet to be felt. With development slowed to a crawl in the recession, leaders have some breathing room to catch up in a community that long ago outgrew its roads and public facilities in many areas. But the cash-strapped county is finding it difficult to make progress on billions of dollars worth of improvements, despite favorable costs.

The industry that builds and maintains Virginia’s roads and bridges has come to a near-standstill and is counting on a jump-start from the president. The quarries that provide stone for asphalt and concrete have laid off employees and closed some operations. Paving companies are waiting to bid on state highway maintenance work so they can determine how many employees they can afford to call back in the spring from seasonal layoffs that were deeper than usual.

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Officials at the University of Virginia are listing infrastructure projects to have ready should Congress choose to assign economic-stimulus money for higher education. Cheryl Gomez, U.Va.‘s director of energy and utilities, said the projects are those that could be started quickly. Dozens of college and university presidents recently called for federal stimulus money to be made available.