Report Finds $180 Billion Needed to Repair U.S. Rural Transportation System

The following information was provided by TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit. 

America’s rural transportation system is in need of repairs and modernization to support economic growth and improve traffic safety, but the U.S. faces a $180 billion backlog in funding for needed repairs and improvements to the rural transportation system. This is according to a new report released by TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit.

The report, Rural Connections: Examining the Safety, Connectivity, Condition and Funding Needs of America’s Rural Roads & Bridges, evaluates the safety and condition of the nation’s rural roads and bridges and finds that the nation’s rural transportation system is in need of immediate improvements to address deficient roads and bridges, high crash rates, and inadequate connectivity and capacity.

The full report can be downloaded from the TRIP website.

Rural Roads and Bridge Face Significant Challenges

America’s rural transportation system provides the first and last link in the supply chain from farm to market, connects manufacturers to their customers, supports the tourism industry, and enables the production of energy, food and fiber.

Rural Americans are more reliant on the quality of their transportation system than their urban counterparts, with vehicle travel in rural communities averaging approximately 50 percent higher than in urban communities.

However, roads, highways, rails and bridges in the nation’s rural areas face a number of significant challenges:

• Lack adequate capacity
• Fail to provide needed levels of connectivity to many communities
• Cannot adequately support growing freight travel in many corridors

Rural roads and bridges have significant deficiencies and deterioration:

• Lack many desirable safety features
• Experience fatal traffic crashes at a rate far higher than all other roads and highways

The chart below ranks states based on their rate of rural pavements in poor condition, share of rural bridges that are rated poor/structurally deficient, and fatality rates on non-Interstate, rural roads.

The TRIP report evaluates the safety and condition of the nation’s rural roads and bridges.

$35 Billion Needed for Rural Bridge Rehabilitation

An analysis of the Status of the Nation’s Highways, Bridges and Transit Conditions and Performance Report, 24^rd Edition report, submitted by the USDOT to Congress in 2021, indicates that the U.S. faces a $180 billion backlog in needed repairs and improvements to the nation’s rural roads, highways and bridges.  This includes a $109 billion backlog for rural road and highway rehabilitation, a $35 billion backlog for needed rural bridge rehabilitation, and a $36 billion backlog for needed rural roadway enhancements.

“A reliable, safe, and well-connected transportation network is critical for American businesses, farmers and producers to reach important markets for their goods and to ensure the continued support and strengthening of our nation’s economy,” said John Drake, vice president for transportation, infrastructure, supply chain policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “The significant boost in federal investments to our highways, bridges, and ports provided by the IIJA will be vital for these Americans’ ability to remain competitive in the global marketplace while providing much needed improvements to our nation’s transportation system.”

“The health of the nation’s economy and the safety and quality of life in America’s small communities and rural areas ride on our rural transportation system,” said Dave Kearby, executive director of TRIP.  “Providing the nation with a rural transportation network that supports rural America’s economy and will support its future development will require that the U.S. invest in a rural transportation system that is safe, efficient, and well-maintained, and that provides adequate mobility and connectivity to the nation’s rural communities.”

TRIP to Present Report at SSSBA Meeting

Rocky Moretti, director of policy and research at TRIP, will provide a presentation containing highlights of the report at the Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance Semi-Annual meeting (January 23-24, 2023) in Orlando, Florida. For more information or to attend the SSSBA meeting, please contact Dan Snyder, director of the SSSBA, at dsnyder@steel.org

Read Full Press Release from TRIP