Roads, Transit System facing Trillion-Dollar Backlog

WASHINGTON — The nation’s highway and transit systems need to overcome a nearly trillion-dollar investment backlog, according to a new report on the state of America’s transportation infrastructure commissioned by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The report, 2015 Status of the Nation’s Highways, Bridges and Transit: Conditions and Performance, was completed late last year at a time when then-President-elect Donald Trump was promising to launch a major infrastructure upgrade initiative this year.

The report identified an $836-billion backlog of unmet capital investment needs for highways and bridges.

Conditions and Performance is a biennial report to Congress that provides information on the physical and operating characteristics of the highway, bridge and transit components of the nation’s surface transportation system.

Addressing the growing backlog while still meeting other needs over the next two decades will require $142.5 billion in combined transportation spending from state, federal and local governments, according to the report.

In 2012, the most recent year for which the report’s data was available, federal, state and local governments combined spent $105.2 billion on infrastructure– 35.5 percent less than what was needed to improve highways and bridges.

The report also indicates a $26.4-billion need per year to improve the condition of transit rail and bus systems. In 2012, total spending to preserve and expand transit systems was $17 billion. At that rate, overall transit system conditions are expected to decline over the next 20 years.

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