AASHTO Journal, 7 March 2014
A new federal report released last week shows that the United States is under investing in surface transportation infrastructure by more than $23 billion a year.
The 2013 Status of the Nation’s Highways, Bridges and Transit: Conditions and Performance, which uses 2008 and 2010 data provided by state transportation departments and transit agencies, found that in 2010 state and local governments invested $100.2 billion on roads and bridges (including $11 billion from the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act). However, the report estimates that between $123.7 billion and $145.9 billion annually should be spent on roads and bridges.
Transit rail and bus systems also are facing a growing investment need. Transit agencies spent approximately $16.5 billion in 2010 while the report estimates an annual investment need of between $22.0 billion and $24.5 billion.
“The USDOT Conditions and Performance report shows what our state DOTs already know – the investment needs of our transportation system remain much greater than our available resources,” said Bud Wright, AASHTO executive director. “We need to have a sense of urgency about this issue. We are under investing in transportation infrastructure and our main source of funding – the Highway Trust Fund – is expected to run out of money sometime this summer.”
The Conditions and Performance is a biennial report to Congress that provides information on the physical and operating characteristics of the highway, bridge, and transit components of the nation’s surface transportation system.
The report also shows that travel on pavements with good ride quality – the road’s smoothness measurements – improved from 46.4 percent in 2008 to 50.6 percent in 2010. Similarly, according to USDOT, the report shows that overall pavement and bridge conditions have improved in many areas but it also says the nation’s state of good repair and preventive maintenance backlog for transit is at an all-time high of $86 billion.
The full report is available here.