Pavement Preservation Journal, Fall 2013, Vol. 6, No. 3
GAO-13-32R Materials and Practices for Improving Pavement Performance, November 2012
Although highways are highly durable and can last for decades, they deteriorate from traffic wear and tear, inadequate drainage, construction deficiencies, and weather.
Keeping them in good condition requires substantial resources: public entities spent more than $180 billion in 2008 on highways, with about $40 billion coming from the federal government.
Despite these outlays, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) estimates that these funding levels are insufficient to maintain or improve the condition of the nation’s highways through 2028. Further, the major source of federal surface transportation funding—federal motor fuel tax revenues deposited into the Highway Trust Fund— is eroding.
State highway agencies, the entities that are ultimately responsible for keeping most major highways in good repair, will need to develop strategies for doing so at reduced costs.