Everyone wants a transportation network that is safe, reliable, efficient, cheap to use and free from congestion. The growth in travel, however, already has affected the ability of the transportation system to meet these goals. Much of the transportation infrastructure is aging and in poor condition, roads are congested, and costs for travelers, consumers and others who rely on transportation are rising. Many experts believe that additional and substantial financial investment is needed to meet modern transportation needs and support a multi-modal transportation system.
There are many signs that transportation system performance has already dropped. Among the most apparent is the wear and tear on existing transportation infrastructure. According to the National Transportation Statistics 2005, approximately 18 percent of the more than 912,000 miles of America's roads and highways are in poor or mediocre condition.20 In Missouri, 59 percent of roads-the third highest percentage in the nation-are in poor or mediocre condition, costing motorists an additional $2 billion per year in extra vehicle operating costs.21 Approximately 27 percent of the nearly 594,000 U.S. bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.22
Poor road and bridge conditions are not only an aesthetic concern. Bumpy roads and decaying bridges have significant economic and personal costs. Outdated facilities can handle fewer vehicles at slower speeds, meaning that both individual motorists and freight shipments travel at slower speeds to their eventual destination. Poor roads and bridges also can create safety hazards and cause damage to vehicles. According to TRIP, a nonprofit transportation research group, roadway conditions were a factor in approximately 30 percent of fatal traffic crashes in 2003, in which approximately 12,700 people died.23 Annually, motor vehicle crashes cost U.S. citizens more than $230 billion in medical costs, lost productivity, travel delay, loss in work productivity, additional insurance costs and legal costs.24 TRIP also estimates that driving on roads in need of repair costs motorists in the U.S. $54 billion per year in extra vehicle repairs and operation costs.
Signs of age also are apparent in rail and transit systems. Tracks, bridges, tunnels and many rail and transit vehicles are beginning to age. According to the National Transit Database, in 2003 approximately 28 percent of transit and rail vehicles in the active fleet were 12 years old or older.25 The problem is particularly acute for rail cars. The average age for commuter rail locomotives in 2003 was 16.6 years. The average for heavy rail passenger cars was 19 years, 15.6 years for light rail vehicles, 20.5 years for commuter rail passenger cars and 25.4 years for commuter rail self-propelled passenger cars.26
Travel growth has also significantly intensified highway and road congestion. Congestion results when traffic exceeds the road capacity. Although travel on highways and roads has increased significantly during the last two decades, road capacity has not expanded to handle increased need. FHWA reports that between 1980 and 1999, the total number of miles traveled by motorists in the United States increased by 76 percent. Concurrently, the number of new highway miles increased by only 1.5 percent. As a result, during the last two decades, traffic congestion has increased everywhere. According to the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), traffic congestion in the United States delayed travelers 0.7 billion hours in 1982. In 2003, traffic congestion delayed travelers by 3.7 billion hours. The number of urban areas that reported 20 hours of annual delay per peak traveler grew from just five in 1982 to 51 in 2003. Only 33 percent of travel occurred on uncongested roads in 2003, compared with 70 percent of travel that occurred on uncongested roads in 1982. Twenty percent of travel occurred in extreme congestion conditions, and another 20 percent of travel occurred in severe congestion conditions in 2003, up from 5 percent in extreme conditions and 7 percent in severe conditions reported in 1982.
In addition to mere inconvenience, traffic congestion costs money, wastes time, wastes fuel and causes environmental damage. Congestion has particularly acute economic effects. Growing international trade has increased traffic in U.S. ports and on roads leading from the ports. Congestion delays the movement of freight, increasing the costs for manufacturers, shippers, retailers and, ultimately for consumers. According to TTI, congestion costs grew considerably during the last 20 years. In 1982, delays wasted 0.4 billion gallons of fuel and cost $12.5 billion. In 2003, congestion resulted in 2.3 billion gallons of wasted fuel and cost Americans nearly $65 billion.27