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The U.S. Interstate Highway System reached 65 years old on Tuesday, June 29, 2021. At an age at which many Americans are considering retirement and reduced workloads, the 65-year-old Interstate Highway System is deteriorating, as its traffic load of cars and trucks continues to increase, with the system lacking an adequate plan for its long-term health. The Interstate Highway System is the backbone of the nation’s economy, remains the workhorse of the U.S. transportation system, and has played a critical role in improving the country’s business productivity. As it has reached this milestone age of 65, the Interstate Highway System has also become known for traffic congestion—carrying significant levels of travel—particularly large trucks. Since 2000, the amount of combination truck travel on Interstates has increased at a rate more than double that of total travel on the system:
• Heavily traveled and providing the most important link in the nation’s supply chain, and the primary connection between and within urban communities.
• During the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing recovery, the importance of the Interstate Highway System and the reliable movement of goods it provides was heightened.
The Interstate Highway System provides a network of highways with a variety of safety designs that greatly reduce the likelihood of serious crashes. Travel on the nation’s Interstate highways is more than twice as safe as travel on all other roadways.
Before and during its 65-year history, timeline of U.S. Interstate Highway System:
1919:
The need for a transcontinental highway system in the U.S. was recognized as early as 1919.
– Lieutenant Dwight D. Eisenhower participated in the U.S. Army’s first transcontinental motor convoy, from Washington, DC, to San Francisco, California
– The trip took 62 days, largely due to inadequate roads and highways.
1930s-late:
An initial Interstate plan was completed in the late 1930s
1954:
President Eisenhower appointed a committee to draft a proposal to fund a national system of Interstate Highways. The initial proposal, subsequently dismissed by Congress, called for financing a national Interstate system through bond financing.
1956—65 YEARS AGO:
Congress approved a suitable funding mechanism in 1956 and the Interstate Highway System became a reality with the approval of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956
– Signed into law by President Dwight Eisenhower on June 29, 1956, the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956:
– Called for the construction of a 41,000-mile system of Interstate highways
– Called for the Interstates to be paid for by taxes on motorists, such as the federal motor fuel tax
– Called for the federal government to pay 90% of the initial construction costs
– Nationwide construction of the Interstate Highway System began
– Urban and regional highway segments built prior to 1956 were later incorporated into the Interstate Highway System
1971:
Founded in 1971, The Road Information Program (TRIP)® of Washington, DC, was developed—a nonprofit organization that researches, evaluates and distributes economic and technical data on surface transportation issues. It is sponsored by insurance companies, equipment manufacturers, distributors and suppliers; businesses involved in highway and transit engineering and construction; labor unions; and organizations concerned with efficient and safe surface transportation.
2015:
On December 4, 2015 the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act (Pub. L. No. 114-94) was signed into law by President Obama—the first federal law in over a decade to provide long-term funding certainty for surface transportation infrastructure planning and investment.
2016-2020:
Authorized $305 billion over fiscal years 2016 through 2020 for highway, highway and motor vehicle safety, public transportation, motor carrier safety, hazardous materials safety, rail, and research, technology, and statistics programs: The FAST Act:
• Maintains focus on safety
• Keeps intact the established structure of the various highway-related programs it manages
• Continues efforts to streamline project delivery
• Provides a dedicated source of federal dollars for freight projects
• States and local governments are now moving forward with critical transportation projects with the confidence that they will have a federal partner over the long term
Jerry Voigt, Former President & CEO-ACPA, said, “Not all the effects of aging may be evident on the road surface, but roadway foundations continue to deteriorate.
Most Interstate highways, bridges and interchanges will need to be rebuilt or replaced … this is where the concrete pavement industry can play an instrumental role in the future. TRIP report found that pavements on 11% of Interstate highways are in poor or mediocre condition, so there is a lot of paving work to be done in the years ahead!”
As it has reached this milestone age of 65, the Interstate Highway System has also become known for traffic congestion—particularly large trucks—and for a lack of adequate funding to make needed repairs and improvements. Traffic congestion is increasing as the amount of vehicle travel far outstrips the capacity added to the system. America’s Interstate highways are wearing out and showing signs of their advanced age, often heavily congested, and in need of significant reconstruction, modernization and expansion.
• Congestion is a concern for nearly 1/2 of the length of the nation’s urban Interstates
• Travel on Interstate highways is increasing at a rate nearly 3 times the rate that new lane capacity is being added
• From 2000 to 2019, vehicle travel on Interstate highways increased 26%
• From 2000 to 2019, lane miles of Interstates increased 9%
• 47% of the nation’s urban Interstate highways (9,046 of 19,177 miles) are considered congested because they carry traffic levels that result in significant delays during peak travel hours.
While pavement smoothness and bridge conditions on the Interstate system are acceptable, as the aging system’s foundations continue to deteriorate, most Interstate highways, bridges and interchanges will need to be reconstructed or replaced. America’s most critical transportation link will need to be rebuilt and expanded to meet the nation’s growing transportation needs, according to a report released by TRIP: America’s Interstate Highway System at 65: Meeting America’s Transportation Needs with a Reliable, Safe & Well-Maintained National Highway Network, and it looks at:
• The Interstate system’s use, condition and benefits
• The findings of a 2019 report prepared by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) at the request of Congress as part of the FHWA‘s FAST Act, on the:
– condition and use of the Interstate system
– actions required to restore and upgrade the Interstate system
– pavement conditions
– bridge conditions
– travel trends
– traffic congestion levels
– truck use
– traffic safety
– reviews the findings of the TRB Interstate report
– concludes with recommended actions—based on the findings of the TRB report—to ensure that the system is able to meet the nation’s transportation needs
– addresses that the needs of the Interstate Highway System will require more than a doubling of current investment to adequately improve the system’s condition, reliability and safety
– the restoration of the nation’s Interstate Highway System should be based on strong federal leadership of a collaborative effort with the states
For Important LINKS, please go to:
TRIP FACT SHEET: https://tripnet.org/reports/interstate-highway-system-fact-sheet-june-2021/
TRIP Report Webpage: “America’s Interstate Highway System at 65: Meeting America’s Transportation Needs with a Reliable, Safe & Well-Maintained National Highway Network”: https://tripnet.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/TRIP_Interstate_Report_June_2021.pdf
FAST Act: www.fhwa.dot.gov/fastact/