DOT Report: Inadequate Infrastructure Contributes to Freight Delays
Bridges and highway infrastructure in poor condition contributes to traffic congestion that often delays trucks along freight corridors, the U.S. Department of Transportation determined in a recent report.
This pressure on freight corridors is expected to worsen in the coming years as truck traffic is projected to increase along large metropolitan areas, according to DOT’s biennial report, “2015 Status of the Nation's Highways, Bridges, and Transit: Conditions & Performance.”
“Current freight demands are straining existing system capacity, while freight movement across the United States is expected to increase,” the report stated. To this point, the report concluded there is an $836 billion backlog of unmet capital investment needs for roadways and bridges — about 3.4% more than the estimate made in the previous report.
Addressing the backlog will require $142.5 billion in transportation funding from federal, state and local agencies, according to the report.
Truck traffic accounted for 67% of freight tonnage and 64.1% of freight value in 2012. Trucks usually are the primary method for freight trips consisting of less than 500 miles, the report added. Freight transport accounted for 25.5% of gasoline, diesel and other fuels consumed by motor vehicles in 2013, which has the potential of causing safety challenges.
Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx argued the report highlighted an urgent need to modernize infrastructure.
“We have an infrastructure system that is fundamental to the nation’s economic health, and it needs greater attention and resources,” Foxx said on Jan. 12. “Improving our nation’s roads, bridges and transit helps create jobs, connects communities and ensures that our nation is equipped for the future.”
An American Transportation Research Institute study last year revealed congestion cost the trucking industry nearly $50 billion in 2014. In their 2013 report card, the American Society of Civil said the country had earned a D+ grade for its infrastructure.
