The future of transportation infrastructure

What would Ike do?

This June 29 marks the 60th anniversary of the day President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the law that authorized the construction of the U.S. interstate highway system and created the Highway Trust Fund to pay for it.

The nearly 47,000-mile ribbon of concrete and asphalt drove the 20th century American success story. The interstates not only provided mobility, but they connected communities and enhanced the quality of life for generations. The interstates continue to serve as the lifeblood of the economy and are an integral component of the daily operations of virtually all businesses and motorists.

But, there can be no doubt the interstates, and our intermodal transportation network as a whole, are facing serious challenges.

Years of chronic underinvestment are taking their toll. Nearly 60,000 U.S. bridges are structurally deficient and need repair. The iconic Arlington Memorial Bridge, which spans the Potomac River between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, is now closed to buses and heavy trucks. The Depression-era bridge may be permanently closed to all vehicle traffic in five years if it is not rebuilt.

Some days, it seems like the infrastructure in the nation’s capital is as broken as the political system on Capitol Hill. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Looking to the future, U.S. population growth is expected to increase 22 percent to 390 million by 2045. The gross domestic product is expected to jump by 115 percent over the same period. And the total number of motor vehicles is expected to grow 26 percent, from 260 million to 327 million by 2045, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association’s (ARTBA) analysis of federal government data.

These trends illustrate why America needs a 21st century plan to help ensure global competitiveness and future mobility. It’s tough to predict what transportation infrastructure might look like in 100 years, given the blistering pace of technological advancements and other disruptions to the status quo. But here are a few ideas for the next few decades.

Next steps

First, repair, modernize and add capacity to the interstate highway system, particularly in high-density freight corridors and population centers. Think Interstates 2.0.

Second, prepare now for the autonomous vehicles that are already nosing their way onto the nation’s entrance ramps. More of them are on the way, and they have the potential to improve traffic flow. However, it will be necessary to make major improvements to the existing physical infrastructure, including separate lanes, more visible lane markings and other signage, as well as technologies for instant snow melting so “smart” computer systems can safely “read” the roadways in front of them.

Third, dig more tunnels like projects in Boston, Miami, New York and Seattle to move more people and goods. Fourth, add more elevated trains and high-speed rail corridors, and continue to develop innovative personal transport systems like the Elon Musk’s Hyperloop. Fifth, build additional runways and fully modernize the traffic control system to allow more passengers to fly to their destinations on schedules that better suit their needs, and in the next generation of eco-friendly aircraft that are quieter and faster.

Sixth, with a tsunami of freight headed to our shores, ARTBA has been pushing a vision called “Critical Commerce Corridors” (3C) to improve the safe and efficient movement of goods. This could be in the form of self-financed “truck-only lanes” or elevated freight shuttle system guideways.

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Pete Ruane is the president and CEO of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. He can be reached at pruane@artba.org.

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Photo credit: henrikschnabel via Foter.com / CC BY-ND