A new accounting proposal would require the nation’s cities and states to provide a clearer picture of the age of their roads, bridges and water systems—and whether bigger repair costs may be looming than taxpayers realize.
The proposal, released April 8, 2026, by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board, would push state and local governments to break out infrastructure details by network—including roads, bridges, water, sewer, lighting and communication towers—and flag assets that are nearing or have already hit the end of their estimated useful lives.
Simply put: governments could have a much harder time hiding aging public works inside giant asset totals that mean little to the average taxpayer.
To dig deeper, visit the original article on the Thomson Reuters blog.