The Future of the Interstate Highway SysteM (Continued)
Lessons to Be Learned from 1956
Connecting the nation with long-distance expressways was the imperative at the time. For the future, we may need to expand this concept to connect to the global economy.
Many of today’s challenges were faced then: funding gaps, Federal/state relations, metropolitan and rural challenges, allocation formula issues, donor–donee issues, etc.
The concept of a Federally defined, built, and owned system was rejected in favor of the historical Federal–state partnership that had evolved and strengthened over 40 years.
The real story is about state–Federal cooperation and co-equal development of the plans and ideas that eventually evolved.
Vision is crucial and a positive spirit toward what is achievable is critical. The great “can do” generation was immensely important.
There is a tendency in hindsight to see the creation of the system as inevitable. Anything so fundamental to our way of life had to exist. It did not! The system had to be sold. People had to be convinced.
Current State of the System
Route Miles: Interstate route miles have now grown to nearly 47,000 miles.
Lane-Miles: There are 210,000 Interstate lane-miles.
Travel: In 2002, Americans traveled approximately 280 billion vehicle miles on rural Interstates, 23 billion vehicle miles on small urban Interstates, and 390 billion vehicle miles on urban Interstates. Interstate VMT grew at an average annual rate of approximately 3.1 percent between 1993 and 2002, and FHWA estimates that it will grow at 3 percent through 2022. At that rate Interstate VMT should double from 690 billion to 1.3 trillion 20 years from now.
Highway Conditions: As of 2002, 98 percent of rural Interstates met the standard for “Acceptable” ride quality. Ninety-two percent of the urbanized Interstate miles met the criteria for “Acceptable” or better ride quality.
Bridge Conditions: Bridge conditions have improved. The number of deficient rural Interstate bridges declined from 18.5 percent in 1994 to15.8 percent by 2002. Deficient urban Interstate bridges declined from 30.6 percent to 26.3 percent in the same period.
Increasing Demand: The Daily Vehicle Miles Traveled (DVMT) per lane-mile statistics show the increasing demands that are being placed on the Interstate System. From 1993 to 2002, DVMT per lane-mile increased from 4,300 to 5,700 on rural Interstate highways, and from 13,200 to 15,700 on Interstate highways in urbanized areas.
Current Funding: All levels of government spent $17 billion for capital improvements on Interstate highways and bridges in 2002, which constituted 25 percent of the $68 billion of highway capital spending. System preservation expenditures constituted 53 percent of total capital spending on Interstates, system expansion 38 percent, and system enhancements 9 percent.
Forecasts of the Challenges Ahead
Forecasts indicate that the U.S. population will grow from 300 million today to 435 million by 2055. The economy is expected to grow by 2.8 percent annually. FHWA estimates that highway travel demand measured through VMT will increase from 3 trillion today to 7 trillion by 2055. Truck-borne freight is expected to double by 2035. To sustain a strong economy the Nation will need to find ways to meet those demands. As the legendary Bureau of Public Roads Chief Thomas MacDonald once said, “We do not have roads because we are affluent. We are affluent because we have roads.”
Changing Context
The Interstate System was designed in the pre-World War II period from the experience of a very different era. As Interstate construction began in the late 1950s there were 65 million vehicles creating 600 billion vehicle miles of travel. Vehicle ownership had just begun to take off and long-distance trucking was still in its infancy. Fifty years later there are over 240 million vehicles creating 3 trillion vehicle miles of travel on a highway system that grew by only 15 percent in the 50 years.
Major changes have taken place in the transportation environment for the Interstate. Some of these transformations include:
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From basic interstate commerce (farm to market, urban to rural) to national/global commerce connections;
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From “old geography” (pre-sunbelt) to new geography of dispersed regional growth;
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From limited truck use to just-in-time logistics with large combination vehicles;
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From transcontinental troop and material movement to rapid “fort-to-port” mobilization;
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From uncongested new capacity to the need for congestion management; and
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From civil engineering standards to intelligent transportation systems and solutions.
In urban areas, the Interstate often acts as the regional “main street.” In rural areas it is the principal connector. Between population centers it provides the backbone for long-distance movement—for tourists and trucks alike. However, because demand has increased far faster than the 15 percent of expansion that has taken place, it is no surprise that the Interstate, while efficient and safe, is increasingly congested. Peak-hour congestion in urban areas is expected to increase from 29 percent of the system in 2000 to 46 percent by 2020.
Not Your Grandfather’s Interstate
As the U.S. economy becomes both more integrated and globalized, there is an ever-increasing economic premium placed on rapid, reliable transportation for goods and passengers. The nation’s ability to compete will require a well-connected, nationwide, high-capacity system capable of high speeds and reliability. But the needed future Interstate is not simply “more of the same.”
Members of the “Singing Angels” choral group at Akron, Ohio at an Interstate 50th Anniversary Celebration
hosted by Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire. June 2006
The Interstate System of the 21st Century must apply innovative practices and technologies, including:
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Effective asset management practices;
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Advanced construction and maintenance techniques to get the job done faster, cheaper, and safer;
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Longer-lasting materials to extend periods between major pavement and bridge maintenance and replacement work;
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Aggressive traffic management practices utilizing intelligent transportation systems to minimize traffic delay, improve flow, and safety;
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Design practices that maintain high standards of quality while enabling flexible solutions responsive to environmental and community priorities; and
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Premium services where needed for priority customers, such as emergency service providers, public transport vehicles, freight operators, and High Occupancy Toll (HOT) Lane-paying customers.
But producing such a system is neither ordained nor inevitable. It will require vision and leadership—and the forging of relationships with a wider range of stakeholders.
