Rebuild Highways to Restore the American Dream
Too often today Americans find themselves stuck in traffic and frustrated by the loss of precious time. Fifty-three years ago the Interstate Highway System opened up America to trade and travel, and set a new standard for the world. But over the past 20 years, the once clear objectives of the federal-aid highway program have proliferated to more than 100 different categories. This makes it difficult to identify priorities or to make clear what the “federal interest” is in the federal program.
It is time to get the federal highway program back to basics and to focus on community investments that will once again make it possible for us to go where we want to go, when we want to go, and to get there on time. To improve the highway program’s effectiveness and accountability, two changes are needed. First, refocus the program on a targeted set of six national objectives which meet real community needs; and second, restructure the program to directly address those objectives.
What Is the Federal-Aid Highway Program?
The three components of our federal-aid highway program must all be sustained in the next authorization.
1. Interstate Highway System
The 47,000-mile Interstate System represents only one percent of total system mileage, but carries 24 percent of all traffic and 41 percent of truck traffic. The system has seen phenomenal growth, with traffic far outgrowing the expectations of the 1950s. When interstate construction began there were 65 million vehicles creating 600 billion vehicle miles of travel. Today over 240 million vehicles create 3 trillion vehicle miles of travel. In another 40 years, population is expected to increase from 305 million today to 435 million, and travel may increase to an annual 5 trillion vehicle miles. Both preservation and expansion will be needed for the interstate system to meet America’s future mobility needs.
2. National Highway System (NHS)
The NHS is made up of the interstate system plus 115,000 miles of rural and urban principal arterials; the Strategic Highway Network, highways important to military mobilization; and 1,400 miles of intermodal connectors that provide access to major passenger and freight facilities. The current NHS carries 40 percent of all highway traffic and 70 percent of truck combination vehicle traffic.
3. Federal-Aid Highways
An additional 800,000 miles of arterials and collectors, not included in the NHS, are eligible for federal aid. Comprising 20 percent of the system these roads carry 40 percent of all traffic. These routes are critical connections between the lower level state and local road network and the Interstate and NHS routes. Most are owned by county and city governments.
Together, these three components of the federal-aid system represent the most heavily used highways across America, requiring substantial investment for preservation and improvement to meet growing needs.
Smart Solutions
Our global economy places an ever-increasing economic premium on rapid and reliable transportation for goods and passengers. A multimodal system including highways, transit, rail, ports, and airports, will be required to meet these needs. The highway system for this century must apply smart solutions including:
- Aggressive traffic management practices utilizing intelligent transportation systems to minimize traffic delay, improve flow, and safety;
- Advanced construction and maintenance techniques to get the job done faster, cheaper, and safer;
- Longer-lasting materials to extend periods between major pavement and bridge maintenance and replacement work;
- Design practices that maintain high standards of quality while enabling flexible solutions responsive to environmental and community priorities; and
- Premium services, such as through special lanes for Bus Rapid Transit vehicles, High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes which provide faster lanes for those willing to pay, and managed lanes which separate truck traffic from passenger vehicles.
Scale of the Investment Increase Needed
According to the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission 2008 Report, an investment of at least $225 billion per year in highways, transit and rail is required for the next four decades. That bipartisan panel determined that today the country is investing at less than 40 percent of what is needed. Over the past 20 years, the federal share of highway and transit capital investment has averaged 45 percent.
Strong Federal Role
The Policy and Revenue Study Commission also concluded that the only way investment can be increased to the levels needed is for all levels of government—federal, state, and local—to continue to fund their historic shares. AASHTO recommends that the historic federal share of highway funding be maintained at 45 percent.
Systematic, Community-Based Planning Based on Needs, Not Politics
One of the major reforms enacted in 1991 through the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) was to shift the responsibility for planning and project selection to state and local governments. Transportation planning today at the state and metropolitan level is rigorous and inclusive. It would help restore public confidence to know that in the future, funds apportioned to the states would be systematically programmed by states and local governments, who are in the best position to determine priorities that give taxpayers the best value for their dollars. Since 1991, the percentage of program funds apportioned to the states has declined from 90 percent to 83 percent. AASHTO recommends that Congress restore the percentage of funds apportioned to the states and delivered through six core programs to the 90 percent level established in ISTEA.
