How important is the transportation network to the U.S. economy?

An integrated U.S. transportation system is critical to the safe and efficient movement of people and goods. Construction, design, and maintenance work performed on transportation projects, including highways, bridges, subways, light rail systems, freight rail, airports and water ports, generates over $650 billion in annual economic activity and supports 4.4 million jobs.

How many miles of roads and how many bridges are in the U.S.?

There are 4.19 million miles of road in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, according to the Federal Highway Administration. There are also 619,588 bridges.

• The 48,756 miles of Interstate Highways are the core of the nation’s roadway network. The Interstates comprise just over 1 percent of highway mileage but carry over 25 percent of all highway traffic.
• The Interstates and another 171,759 miles of major roads comprise the National Highway System, which carries most of the highway freight and traffic in the U.S.
• Local governments maintain about 78 percent of all roadway miles, state highway agencies are responsible for about 19 percent, and the federal government owns about 3 percent of all roads, mainly in national parks, military bases and Indian reservations.
• About one-third of all roads, mainly in rural areas of the country, are unpaved gravel or dirt roads.

How many airports, railroads, public transit, and ports and waterways are in the U.S. transportation network?

• 4,964 public-use airports, 14,718 private facilities for recreational and business air travel, and 313 facilities owned by the military or U.S. government.
• 632 Class I and short line railroads and 136,650 miles of railroad track carry much of the nation’s heavy freight and agricultural output.
• Over 271,000 route-miles of scheduled bus service, plus 12,731 miles of fixed-rail transit including trolley buses, commuter rail, subways, and light rail systems. The fixed-rail transit systems serve 3,216 stations where passengers can board or exit trains.
• More than 300 ports, 250 locks, 3,5000 marine terminals, and thousands of recreational marinas on 25,000 miles of navigable waterways.

What is the condition of the U.S. highway network?

Across the country, 162,118 miles of major highways, or 15.7 percent, are in poor or mediocre condition and need repaving or even more substantive repairs.  According to the 2021 U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Bridge Inventory, 223,972 bridges need repair and replacement.  See ARTBA’s Annual U.S. Bridge Report.

How bad is traffic congestion?

Average annual commuter costs and time lost due to traffic congestion were nearly cut in half during the COVID-19 pandemic. By early 2022, as the virus decreased and the economy rebounded, congestion figures were returning to 2019 levels: $190 billion, or $1,174 per commuter, about 54 hours per motorist per year, according to the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.

Nearly 73 percent of domestic freight is carried by truck.  Congestion has an impact on freight shipments, too. Highway freight bottlenecks cost the U.S. economy over $42 billion in 2019, according to the latest data available from the Federal Highway Administration. The value of U.S. domestic freight shipments is expected to more than double over the next 25 years.

What states have the best and worst roads and bridges?

The following table includes information for road and bridge conditions by state. According to the latest available data, Rhode Island has the worst roads and bridges in the country, with 52.8 percent of all federal-aid highway miles in poor or mediocre condition, and 23.1 percent of bridges designated as structurally deficient

How much land is used for roads in the U.S.?

Roads cover less than 1 percent of U.S. land area, according to data from the Federal Highway Administration.

The total land area of the contiguous 48 states is 2,959,067 square miles (excluding Alaska and Hawaii, which have a large percent of the country’s land area but few roads.)

How are roads and bridges built?

ARTBA members are leaders in the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of the U.S. transportation network.

Civil engineers design road and bridge improvements. They prepare the drawings, specify the types and quantities of materials to be used, and determine how to assure the safety of construction workers and motorists while the project is underway. Construction companies use these plans to build the project.

State and local highway agencies can either design a highway construction project “in-house,” with engineers who are employees of the agency, or contract with a private engineering firm to design and prepare the plans. Some state highway agencies do all design work in-house. Most, however, use both methods.

For highway and bridge projects, whether new construction or improvements to existing infrastructure, once the plans are complete, the state or local highway agency then asks for bids from qualified construction firms to build the project. The construction company submitting the lowest bid is selected to do the work.

Who owns roads, bridges, airports, and public transit systems in the U.S.?

Almost all roads, bridges, airports, and transit systems in the U.S. are owned by state and local governments or government-created agencies, which are responsible for constructing and maintaining them. Every state has a department of transportation (DOT) as do most counties and cities.

The federal government helps state and local governments pay for construction and upkeep of airports, transit systems and major roads, but own little of the nation’s transportation infrastructure-mainly roads in national parks and forests, American Indian reservations, and military bases. The federal government, however, does own and operate the nation’s passenger rail system, Amtrak.

How many people are killed or injured annually in roadway work zones?

Most roadway construction work takes place within feet of free-flowing traffic, so it is inherently dangerous. Each year, more than 750 motorists and passengers are killed and another 30,000 are injured in these construction sites, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Such accidents are most frequently attributed to motorist inattention and distracted driving.

Road construction workers are also vulnerable. Nearly 200 are killed and 10,000 injured annually on the job site. The most common causes for these fatalities are when workers are struck by vehicles and equipment.

The most important things motorists can do to safely navigate these sites are to pay attention to the road and signs, obey posted speed limits, and avoid distractions such as eating or using mobile devices.

What is the public’s role in transportation system development decisions?

The review and approval process for all transportation projects includes multiple opportunities for the public to submit comments to a variety of federal and state transportation and environmental agencies. These public agencies must then respond to these comments before proceeding with the project.

How is transportation infrastructure paid for in the U.S.?

Most U.S. transportation infrastructure construction and maintenance activities are paid for through a combination of user-related taxes and fees at the federal and state level.

Local investment typically comes from dedicated sales tax or property tax revenue. Public-private partnerships (P3s) are another funding strategy. Private investors finance some or all the costs of construction, then earn a return by charging tolls.

The major source of funding for federal highway and transit investment is the Highway Trust Fund (HTF). It was created by Congress in 1956 to provide money for construction of the Interstate Highway System and other federal investment in highway improvements.

In 1982, Congress added a Mass Transit Account to finance federal investment in light rail and other public transportation systems. Taxes paid by highway users are credited to the HTF and are used solely to pay for highway and mass transit improvements.

Current revenue sources include an 18.3-cents-per-gallon federal excise tax on gasoline, which was last raised in 1993, and gasohol, a 24.3-cents-per-gallon tax on diesel fuel, equivalent taxes on other motor fuels such as compressed natural gas, and three taxes levied on heavy trucks and truck tires.

Revenues from the taxes on motor fuels are divided between the Highway Account and the Mass Transit Account by formula, while all revenues from the taxes on heavy trucks are credited to the Highway Account. The Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration use HTF revenues to pay the federal share of improvements made to highways and public transportation systems.

Highway Account revenues can be used to design, construct, improve and preserve Interstate Highways and most other major highways, purchase right of way, conduct environmental mitigation, and make other capital improvements, but they cannot be used for routine maintenance such as filling potholes or removing snow.

Mass Transit Account revenues can be used to construct and improve subway, light rail and other mass transit systems, purchase buses and make other capital improvements, but generally not for operating expenses.

State governments finance highway construction and maintenance through a broad set of taxes and fees, most of which are also user related. Every state imposes taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel. Other revenue sources include vehicle registration fees, driver license fees, electric vehicle fees, sales taxes on motor vehicles, heavy truck use taxes, traffic violation fines, and similar taxes and fees.

State governments have expanded their user fees and use of general revenues to finance highway improvements. Many state governments also borrow money for highway construction by issuing bonds. A few permit local governments to levy taxes and fees on highway users, but in most states, local highway expenditures are financed out of property tax revenues.

Because the federal motor fuels tax has not increased since 1993, the HTF has received additional revenues from other sources like the U.S. Treasury General Fund, to help ensure its solvency.

How is the money spent to improve our transportation network?

Nearly 47 percent of all state and local highway program spending is used for capital outlays, which include construction and repair work, planning and design, and right of way purchases.

An additional 24 percent is used for maintenance and traffic services, 12.5 percent for bond payments, 8.5 percent for law enforcement and 8 percent for administration and research.

Details on how federal funds are invested can be found at the ARTBA Highway Dashboard.

Expenditures by public transit agencies are split between capital expenditures (32 percent) and operating costs (68 percent). Capital expenditures include spending on fixed guideways, passenger stations, passenger and service vehicles, fare revenue collection equipment, and maintenance facilities.  The largest operational expenses are the salaries, wages, and benefits for transit agency employees.

Spending by commercial service airports included capital investments for airfields, terminals, parking, and roadway/transit connections (50 percent), operational expenses (42 percent) and debt service (8 percent).

How much does it cost to build a mile of road?

Construction costs per mile of road vary depending on location, terrain, type of construction, number of lanes, lane width, durability, or number of bridges. It costs more to build a new road than to rehabilitate a road or add lanes. Roads cost more to build in urban areas than in rural areas. Roads in mountainous terrain are more expensive to build than roads on flat land.

Some states have developed cost models to guide planning for their highway construction programs. These models estimate the cost of various kinds of highway improvements. The following are examples:

• According to information collected by U.S. DOT, the cost to replace a bridge can range from $75 per square foot in Texas to as much as $1,230 per square foot in Hawaii.
• FHWA estimates the cost of reconstruction and widening from $1.5 million to $4 million per mile in rural areas and $3 million to $11 million in urban areas, depending on the conditions and density, in 2014 dollars.
• Florida Department of Transportation estimates prices range from $2.5 million per mile for new construction of a rural road to $4.3 million for an urban arterial 2-lane road with bike lanes.  The estimated cost of a new 6-lane Interstate Urban Highway would be $14.3 million per mile.
• The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation estimates reconstruction costs per mile of Interstate range between $2.6 million and $5.2 million, depending on the number of lanes.  The cost to resurface a two-lane Interstate is $1 million per mile.
• According to the Arkansas Department of Transportation, average costs for reconstruction are $1.8 million per mile in rural areas to $2.1 million per mile in urban areas. New roads can range from $2.8 million to $11.2 million per mile, depending on the location, number of lanes, and type of road. They estimate that the cost of a diamond interchange is $7.6 million on a new road and $12.4 million if added to an existing highway.

How much does the average U.S. motorist pay in federal gas tax?

The federal gas tax rate is 18.3 cents per gallon.

The average light duty motor vehicle in the United States, including cars, SUVs, minivans, and pickup trucks, is driven 10,200 miles annually, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. On average, Americans consume about 425 gallons of fuel per vehicle.

This means that consumers pay an average of $78 in federal gasoline taxes annually for each vehicle they own. Since the average family owns 1.88 vehicles, this means the average household pays $146 in federal motor fuel taxes per year, or about $2.81 per week.

How much is the average state gas tax?

The average state gasoline tax rate was 29.2 cents per gallon as of January 2022. State gas tax rates range from under 9-cents-per-gallon to more than 56.6 cents per gallon, so the amount of tax paid varies by state.

With the average vehicle using 425 gallons of gasoline, this means the average cost of state gasoline taxes was $124.16 per vehicle. The average household with 1.88 vehicles thus pays $233.42 in state gasoline taxes annually, or $4.49 per week.

How much does each penny of federal gas tax generate for transportation improvements?

The federal excise tax on gasoline and diesel fuel generates about $1.9 billion of revenues per penny of tax.

What is the federal government’s annual investment in transportation improvements?

On Nov. 15, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), a law that provides record investments to improve America’s transportation network.

The IIJA provides a five-year investment of $450 billion for highway, bridge, public transportation, and safety improvements. Funding is also provided for railways, airports, water infrastructure, ports, and marine highways.

What laws and regulations protect the environment when building transportation projects?

Multiple federal environmental statutes govern how transportation projects are built. These include, but are not limited to, the National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act. There are also federal regulations that must be adhered to relating to storm water runoff, historic sites, and wildlife refuges. Individual state governments also have their own sets of environmental laws and regulations, which must be followed.

How extensive are environmental reviews and how does it affect the timing for a project to begin?

As many as 200 major steps are involved in developing a transportation improvement project from the identification of the project need to the start of construction. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimates it typically takes between nine and 19 years to plan, gain approval of, and construct a new major federally funded highway project. According to the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the average review time for a Federal Highway Administration project is seven years while a Federal Transit Administration project is five years.

Do new roads create more traffic and therefore more pollution?

Just as building new schools does not “cause” more students or studying, building roads does not “cause” more drivers or traffic. Both schools and roads, like other public infrastructure and housing, are built to accommodate an ever-growing U.S. population and economy. New roads do provide more access for citizens to reach jobs, health care, shopping, recreation, and family. Business can reach markets and serve customers. Whether or not they use a particular road, however, depends on whether they think it provides them with a more efficient (less time spent), less expensive (less money spent), or safer route than their other transportation alternatives.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, despite gains in gross domestic product, population and vehicle miles traveled, the nation’s air quality has improved.

Specifically, between 1990 and 2020, the transportation sector has helped reduce ozone by 25 percent and carbon monoxide (CO) by 73 percent. Since 2000, Particulate matter (PM 2.5) emissions have fallen by 41 percent.