ARTBA research estimates that the Interstate Highway System (IHS) has been a driving factor in the 340-percent growth of the nation's GDP over the past 65 years, but now that it is carrying traffic volumes and loads well beyond original projections, the system needs additional federal resources to meet economic and mobility challenges.
On the occasion of the system's 65th anniversary, the Washington D.C.-based association notes that nearly 75 percent of truck freight is carried on Interstates.
While the IHS accounts for just 1 percent of roadway miles, it carries 26 percent of vehicle miles traveled, ARTBA chief economist Dr. Alison Premo Black says.
Black notes that during the past 65 years the U.S. population doubled, the number of miles traveled on the IHS increased 422 percent, and the number of registered vehicles skyrocketed 324 percent.
In addition, ARTBA points out:
- More than one-third of Interstate miles are over 50 years old.
- The design life for Interstate pavements in the 1950s and 1960s was 20 years.
- Over 18,000 (nearly one-third) of its 58,500 bridges need repair or replacement.
- 57 percent of the bridges are in just “fair” condition.
- Nearly half of these bridges were built in the 1950s or 1960s.
- The average age of a bridge on the IHS is 46 years old.
- Congestion on the Interstates cost over $9 billion in 2019, with truck drivers delayed by nearly 149 million hours.
Black called on Congress and the Biden administration to complete action this summer on a robust, multiyear transportation infrastructure package.
“The Interstates need a shot of investment to remain healthy and vibrant for the future,” she said. “A renewed federal commitment to America’s transportation network is one of the best ways to preserve the Eisenhower legacy and ensure the Interstates remain the engine of economic growth for decades to come.”
Source: ARTBA
