The American Society of Civil Engineers said that unless Illinois increases public funding, roads that are already in bad shape will simply get worse, The Daily Herald reported Sept. 5.

The organization issued a report on public infrastructure nationwide recently, giving the nation a grade of D-. In the Prairie State, a quarter of the roads are poor or mediocre, the newspaper reported.

The group has called for a 6-cent increase in federal fuel taxes to pay for infrastructure improvements. And although Illinois has spent billions on roads in recent years, it will need to spend even more to keep up, experts quoted by the newspaper said.