AASHTO Journal, 25 January 2013
The challenges experienced by Minnesota regarding its transportation infrastructure will only worsen without additional investment, causing deteriorating infrastructure, safety concerns, and increased congestion, states a report released Thursday by national transportation research organization TRIP.
The report, “Minnesota’s Transportation Challenges and the Improvements Needed to Address Them,” states that deteriorating and congested roads, structurally deficient bridges, needed safety improvements, and a lack of transit options are posing major problems for the state, especially in the more urban areas, where the more heavily-traveled infrastructure is seeing trouble. For example, about one third of the major roads across the state are in need of repair, as 12 percent are in poor condition and another 19 deemed mediocre. Eleven percent of bridges in Minnesota currently show “significant deterioration” or do not currently meet design standards. Many of these deteriorating roads and bridges are in major economically significant areas, causing the TRIP report’s authors to worry about the future of the state’s economy if those infrastructure problems aren’t addressed.
In order to address all its transportation infrastructure problems identified in the report, the state will need to find between $7.1 billion and $9.4 billion, according to the report, or invest an additional $171 million to $181 million each year. Those investments, TRIP states, will essentially pay for themselves in various ways, including:
- Improved competitiveness of industry;
- Improved household welfare;
- Improved local, regional, and state economies;
- Increased leisure/tourism and business travel;
- Reduced economic losses associated with vehicle crashes, traffic congestion, and driving on deficient roads; and
- Creation of and supporting both short-term and long-term jobs.
“The TRIP report is one of a number of recent Minnesota studies confirming the ever-widening transportation funding gap,” said Kevin Gutknecht, Minnesota Department of Transportation communications director. “Narrowing this gap is the challenge ahead for Minnesotans, should they wish to maintain a strong transportation system and a state economy that is competitive with surrounding states while maintaining Minnesota’s high quality of life.”
The full 23-page report is available at bit.ly/MinnesotaTRIP.