The bottom line - US surface transportation system needs major investment

The 2015 Bottom Line Report on transportation investment needs, released by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the American Public Transportation Association, estimates that to meet current demand it will require an annual capital investment over six years by all levels of government in the amount of $120 billion in the nation’s highway and bridge network and US$43 billion in America’s public transportation infrastructure. To meet the combined surface transportation
December 12, 2014 Read time: 3 mins

The 2015 Bottom Line Report on transportation investment needs, released by the 4944 American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the American Public Transportation Association, estimates that to meet current demand it will require an annual capital investment over six years by all levels of government in the amount of $120 billion in the nation’s highway and bridge network and US$43 billion in America’s public transportation infrastructure.

To meet the combined surface transportation needs, it would require an investment of US$163 billion investment per year in surface transportation over a six year period.  Despite those dramatic investment needs, currently only US$83 billion is invested in roads and bridges, while just US$17.1 billion is invested in public transit.  

“The top priority for every state transportation department is to keep America’s surface transportation system operating safely and efficiently,” said AASHTO executive director Bud Wright. While the new report highlights a major gap between what is needed and what is actually spent, Wright said that aiming for a more robust investment level “could target the backlog of repair and rehabilitation projects across the country. Workers would benefit – as would the entire US economy.”

“As the demand for public transportation increases, our systems are strained and in dire need of strong investment,” said APTA president and CEO Michael Melaniphy.  “After years of a lack of robust investment, the public transit infrastructure that our communities and businesses rely on to grow and prosper is crumbling.  Investment in public transit is a key ingredient to driving growth in our communities, attracting development and causing increased property values along its corridors.”

The investment needs, which are derived from economic analysis of demand trends and current network performance, illustrate that government investment in surface transportation infrastructure is far below what is needed to meet demand and allow for safe travel.

The report found about 64,000 structurally deficient bridges are still operating across the country. That is after that category shrank by 43 percent from 1994 to 2013 following a major federal infrastructure spending package and state efforts to target older bridge structures.

Meanwhile, the 2023 Federal Transit Administration’s State of Good Repair Assessment, which identifies the investments necessary to achieve a state of good repair for current public transit assets and then to keep current transit assets in a state of good repair, estimates the current state of good repair backlog at US$87.7 billion.

Freight ton miles are expected to grow 72 per cent from 2015 to 2040, putting ever more big-rig trucks on often-crowded highways

Highway and bridge estimates in the report are based on a rate of travel growth of 1.0 per cent per year in vehicle miles of travel. In 2014, America was returning, for the first time since the recession began in 2008, to the level of 3 trillion miles of travel. That rebound in travel miles has been spurred in part by falling gasoline prices and increased employment.  

An annual investment of US$43 billion for public transportation is necessary to improve system performance and condition, given an expected 2.4 percent annual growth in public transit passenger miles of travel.  If public transportation ridership growth rises to 3.5 percent, the level that would double public transit passenger miles of travel in 20 years, investment in public transportation capital would have to increase to US$56 billion per year.  Currently, the annual capital spending on public transit is just US$17.1 billion.

Related Content

  • New York sees a boom in cycling
    May 10, 2016
    According to New York City Department of Transportation’s (NYC DOT) 2016 Cycling in the City brief, New York City has seen a recent dramatic increase in cycling, with the claim that the city has seen a 320 per cent increase in daily cycling between 1990 and 2014 and a 68 per cent growth in daily cycling between 2010 and 2014. The brief uses data collected by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) as part of its annual Community Health Survey, where 25 per cent of adult New Yorkers (almost 1.
    Read More
  • IBTTA 2011 Annual Meeting highlights developing trends in tolling
    January 26, 2012
    Alain Estiot, chief meeting organiser of this year's IBTTA Annual Meeting and Exhibition, talks about hot topics for discussion. The IBTTA's 79th Annual Meeting and Exhibition, which takes place this year in Berlin in September, will once again take many of the developing trends from around the world and look at their effects on the tolling sector. Host organisation Toll Collect's Alain Estiot, chief meeting organiser, says that the event has to be viewed against a backdrop of major global change.
    Read More
  • Running on empty
    May 2, 2018
    Drivers are an increasingly rare species on Europe’s commuter metros as unattended train operation is embraced. David Crawford takes a low-speed tour of the continent’s capitals to see what’s happening. Unattended train operation (UTO) is fast becoming the norm for Europe’s metros, on existing as well as new lines. November 2017 statistics published by the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) show the continent as having 28% of the global total of route km on lines operating at the ultimate
    Read More
  • Varying acceptance of tolling in Africa
    January 6, 2016
    Tolling technology is now at an advanced state but governments have a key role in ensuring the success of schemes as is evident in Africa. Shem Oirere reports. According to the African Development Bank, the continent has an estimated $46bn of infrastructure financing deficit. The bank says sub-Saharan Africa requires $93bn annually to meet its infrastructure development needs - but only half of the financing is available.
    Read More

Highlighted Content