There are no shortages of government and think tank studies highlighting how horrible the conditions of U.S. roads and highways are. So, it should be of no surprise that a recent study completed by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine reported that interstate highways are in grave danger thanks to structural and operational deficiencies that have yet to be addressed, whether at the state or federal level. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Even more, with the coming evolution to autonomous and electric vehicles, rapid change and upgrades are needed. In fact, it will take years to address the issue, with many suspecting that a hike in fuel taxes and tolling or per-mile charges might be the only way to properly address the problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Entitled \u201cRenewing\nthe National Commitment to the Interstate Highway System: A Foundation for the\nFuture<\/a>,\u201d the report specifically calls for a 20-year plan with a funding\nrequirement in the billions of dollars. The methodology the report points to is\ncalled the \u201cInterstate Highway System Renewal and Modernization Program. A\nmixture of the aforementioned fuel tax hikes and tolls and per-mile charges on interstate\nroads would fund the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The authors point out that there must be a stern commitment\nto the plan, otherwise the risk of overly congested and unreliable roadways\nwill only become more acute. Even more, the cost for bringing those roadways\ninto workable conditions increases as conditions on interstate thoroughfares\nbecomes worse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While the nation\u2019s roads and highways were built with\nlongevity in mind, most of them have exceeded their design lives and in many\nplaces have become completely worn out, overused, or unreliable. Reconstruction\nis critical in the majority of states. Yet, backlogs, red tape, and in many\ncases political gamesmanship prevents necessary projects from moving forward. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For those who point to fuel tax increases as a potential solution,\nit is important to note that technological advances in automobile manufacturing\nmay undermine that source of income. If people are using less fuel, they are\npaying less fuel tax, which serves as the primary funding mechanism for the\ninterstate highway system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The report authors state that there must be an aggressive\nand ambitious course of action from lawmakers and interested parties when it\ncomes to addressing the infrastructure problem. As federal and state\npartnerships have frayed in recent years, industry advocates are encouraging\nlawmakers to forget the past and forge new relationships for the sake of our\ncountry\u2019s transportation network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the interstates carry a mere 1% of public road usage,\nthey carry a full one-third of all the miles traveled by heavy-duty commercial\nmotor vehicles. When it comes to per-mile usage, interstates are the safest\ncorridors in the nation, but because they are used so heavily, they account for\nmore than 5,000 traffic deaths per year. Even worse, in urban areas they suffer\nfrom disrepair and congestion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Assessing the\nChallenges<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n More than one-third of interstate bridges have been in\nservice for more than half-a-century. Due to their age, they will require a\nmajor overhaul and high level of investment. The major outlays required for\nrebuilding the entirety of the system\u2019s original pavement foundation will be\nvery high. But with large urban areas accounting for the vast majority of the\ncountry\u2019s population growth, solutions to improving rural stretches of highway will\nrequire grand thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The NAS report singled several challenges on the horizon,\nsome of which have been a problem for a long time and others which are novel.\nThe simple, straightforward necessities include rebuilding the interstate\nsystem\u2019s pavements and bridges. Next, adding more traffic capacity and\nimplementing many more demand management capabilities will be critical. This is\nespecially important in congested, urban areas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n More long-term challenges include ensuring the system can keep pace with the changes in a country\u2019s population and how economic growth impacts coverage. As traffic volumes continue to rise, ensuring safety will be critical. Finally, evolving vehicle technologies will require innovative thinking. Smart roads and connected highways will usher in a new level of complexity at just the wrong time. With all efforts on simply rebuilding the interstate system, how will the burdens of technological change impact current efforts?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n\n [wp_ad_camp_2] \n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the end, user-based funding mechanisms may be needed to generate reinvestment revenue. The money will need to come from somewhere, even if the stakeholders most likely impacted by any revenue-generating measures give pause. Advances in faster and more efficient construction methods and more durable materials will lay the foundation for better reconstruction. Making reconstruction more manageable and increasing the capacity and safety levels of the interstate highway system is possible in the current climate. It simply takes a little grit and plenty of investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where\u2019s the Money?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There is one inconvertible fact about what is required.\nThere will need to be an effort similar to what happened in the 1950s when the\nDwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways was\nfirst put into effect. During this time, there was a coordinated focus between\nthe federal government and states to motivate the development of change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Thus, the NAS report recommends that Congress legislate\ntheir program, which comes ready to go with the clever acronym of RAMP. The\nfederal government would have to provide the leadership, vision, and most of\nthe funding, while the states would decide which projects get the most\nattention and how the funding is disbursed. The states would also govern how\nthe system is maintained within their jurisdiction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, what do the numbers show right now? When federal and\nstate funding is combined, recent interstate spending has been around $25\nbillion on an annualized basis. The report\u2019s authors contend that to meet the\nmodernization requirements the highways need, funding will need to jump from\n$25 billion to $70 billion. Of course, there are factors that could influence\nthis number, such as extreme weather, the rate of population growth, usage, and\nvehicle miles traveled. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It could even be that the number quoted is still too low, as\nit does not adequately take into account the funding that will be required to\nreconfigure and reconstruct the 15,000 interchanges dotting the system. With\nstates talking about fuel taxes, tolls, and use fees, it appears that a\nconcerted effort could be on the way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The NAS report\u2019s authors point specifically to this in\nstating that if the ban on tolling for general purposes is lifted, interstate\nlanes would create new sources of revenue for cash-starved states in dire need\nof quick roadway repairs. Repairs will not be the only priority item on the\nplate, however. \u2018Rightsizing\u2019 the interstate system will also require a lot of\nforesight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Specifically, the NAS study calls for Congress to provide\ninstruction to the DOT to establish a criterion by which the interstate\nsystem\u2019s length and scope of coverage and remediate disruption. They recommend\nthat the criterion in question be developed in consultation with states, local\ngovernments, municipalities, and vested interests that rely on the health of\nthe interstate highway system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another consideration lies in the harm and inconvenience\nplaced on communities where interstate segments divide or isolate\nneighborhoods. As regions around the country have grown at an exponential rate,\nurban planning has not always taken a front seat. This has resulted in a\ntransportation network that sometimes shortchanges smaller communities abutting\nlarge urban centers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Final Recommendations\nin Congress\u2019 Hands<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the report, Congress should also work with DOT,\nthe FHWA, industry, and independent technical experts to plan for a system that\nincludes considerations for connected vehicles. It recommends the effort should\ninclude the necessary research, updates, and technical planning necessary to\nensure the Interstate Highway System meets the demands of the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A basic intelligent transportation instrumentation system\nmust be adopted and be consistent on a system-wide basis. Everything from\npavement markings to interchange design strategy and reconstruction\nprioritization must drive the projects. The question now is whether there will\nbe enough political capital and legislative will to get the job done. <\/p>\n\n\n\n