Potential for Expansion, Upgrades, and Other Changes to Meet Surface Transportation Needs
Expansion and upgrades are exactly what will be required to meet future needs. To do so will require a multi-modal approach, meaning that expansion of highways, highway interchanges, transit, and rail will all be needed, as well as policy innovations such as pricing. Ten successful projects have been highlighted to illustrate what is needed. What they have in common are substantial cost, value, and results. They also illustrate innovation in policy, design, contracting, finance, construction, and materials.
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Expansion of a Major Interstate Bridge
The $2.4 billion Woodrow Wilson Bridge project south of Washington, DC, on Interstate 95, will expand its capacity from the 75,000 vehicles per day it was designed to carry 50 years ago, to 300,000 vehicles per day in the future. -
Joint Expansion of an Interstate Route and Construction of a Light Rail Line
Denver’s $1.7 billion T-REX project widened and improved 17 miles of Interstate 25 and Interstate 225 from Denver’s downtown to its rapidly growing suburbs, and added 19 miles of brand new light rail transit for service. -
Modernization of a Major Interstate Exchange
Replacement of the Marquette Interchange in Milwaukee, is being accomplished without hurting the city’s economy or disrupting life in the surrounding University community. -
Adding Capacity in the Heart of a City
Nebraska’s Department of Roads came up with an innovative solution for Omaha’s busiest intersection—building two mile-long elevated expressway bridges 40 feet above grade. -
Rebuilding a Major Interstate Bridge to Survive Earthquakes
Caltrans, the Bay Area Toll Authority and the California Transportation Commission are using tolls to fund reconstruction to make the 70-year-old San Francisco to Oakland Bay Bridge—damaged in a 1989 earthquake—seismically safe for users. -
Using a Design-Build Contract to Expand a Major Suspension Bridge
The Washington State DOT is slated to open a new $849 million Tacoma Narrows Bridge, built under the state’s first design-build contract. -
Solving Chicago’s Freight-Rail Congestion Through a Public–Private Partnership
Federal, state, and local governments together with several private railroads have agreed to supply $330 million to initiate a $1.5 billion program to reduce freight rail congestion in Chicago. -
Spurring Economic Growth Through a Transit New Start
The Hudson–Bergen light rail system is a vital link among the growing cities of New Jersey’s Hudson River waterfront and it currently serves an average of 38,000 customers a day and is expected to expand to 70,000 daily riders when the project is completed. -
Pricing to Relieve Truck Congestion at the Nation’s Largest Port Complex
PierPass is a program created by marine terminal operators at the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports to reduce congestion by imposing charges during peak daytime hours to encourage trucks to work nights and Saturdays. - Enhancing Tourism Through the National Scenic Byways Program
States have leveraged Federal resources to preserve scenic highways, expand their visitor appeal, and generate travel and tourism dollars for local economies.
Conclusion
Simply put, AASHTO believes the mission of the U.S. Surface Transportation Program is to keep the U.S. competitive in the global economy and meet America’s 21st Century mobility needs. Part of what it will take to sustain our prosperity in the context of the global economy is a modern, efficient transportation system which enables the U.S. to increase productivity growth, create jobs, and compete head-to-head with all comers.
As was outlined in AASHTO’s Call for Action, we believe the time has come to increase investment in our Surface Transportation System to the levels needed. This will require marshalling the political will necessary at the federal, state and local levels to generate the additional revenues required to make this quantum increase in investment possible. It will also require a strategy which goes well beyond just “more of the same.”
Meeting America’s surface transportation needs for the future will require a multi-modal approach, which preserves what has been built to date, improves system performance, and adds substantial capacity in highways, transit, freight rail, and intercity passenger rail, and better connections to ports, airports and border crossings. It will also require solutions which go beyond transportation improvements and include policies addressing land use, energy, global climate change, the environment, and community quality of life.
