US transportation plan being developed?

In the US, the Obama administration is beginning work on a 30-year transportation plan to meet US infrastructure needs. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, commented in an interview with the Washington Post. “Transportation is a system of systems,” Foxx said, rather than the aggregate of separate systems that can be addressed individually. “The idea that we’re looking at the system comprehensively is the thrust of this report.” He said the report, which will be followed by a formal comment period, is int
February 24, 2015 Read time: 3 mins
In the US, the Obama administration is beginning work on a 30-year transportation plan to meet US infrastructure needs. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, commented in an interview with the Washington Post. “Transportation is a system of systems,” Foxx said, rather than the aggregate of separate systems that can be addressed individually. “The idea that we’re looking at the system comprehensively is the thrust of this report.”

He said the report, which will be followed by a formal comment period, is intended as the beginning of a conversation about the future, rather than the conclusive definition of a path forward. The report being drafted by the Transportation Department draws in part on data compiled in recent years by such groups as the Miller Center at the University of Virginia and the 2600 American Society of Civil Engineers.

An ASCE report two years ago concluded that it would take a US$3.6 trillion investment by 2020 to meet US infrastructure needs, about $1.6 trillion more than current spending. The Miller Center said maintaining infrastructure at current levels required additional spending of $134 billion to $194 billion each year through 2035.

Ben Brock, chief executive of 681 Astec Industries, has spoken out on the need to invest in the US road network. He said, “Government officials need to have the mindset that the surface of the road is no different than the roof of their home,” Brock said. “If the roof of their home is leaking, valuable things could be ruined, if not totally lost. The replacement cost would be much higher today – assuming you even could replace them.”

A road surface in poor condition is similar to a leaking roof, Brock explained. “Water seeps in and deteriorates the base, which is most valuable and very expensive to replace. In this way, maintenance money is smart money because maintaining roads is not optional. It protects not only the asset investment, but keeps travelling surfaces safe for the public.”

Analysts on both side of the Atlantic Ocean have said costs to clear a backlog of repairs are mounting year on year. Jean-Francois Corte, secretary general of the World Road Association (3141 PIARC), based in Paris, has echoed Brock’s concern over road maintenance. “What’s needed right now is at least a medium-term vision to embrace the right type of maintenance, a strong strategy. Because there has been insufficient maintenance, road networks are degrading faster. Many highways authorities don’t have this medium- or long-term approach to highway maintenance because they are bound by their government’s annual budgets.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Western nations need to maintain roadway assets
    December 23, 2014
    In the western world, drivers have benefited over many years from road and highway networks connecting not just towns and cities, but remote rural areas also. The US Interstate network in particular shows how major investment in infrastructure can help fuel economic growth. Construction of the Interstate system commenced in 1956, with the new highways that were built and the transportation they provided contributing greatly to the economic power of the US ever since. In Western Europe too, highway links pro
    Read More
  • Trump loses key infrastructure adviser DJ Gribbin
    April 5, 2018
    The key infrastructure policy adviser to US president Donald Trump has resigned, according to US media reports. DJ Gribbin is "moving on" to pursue unspecified opportunities, a White House official told the Washington Examiner newspaper. Gribbin joined the White House staff in February 2017 to advise Trump on how he could fulfil his election promise to boost infrastructure spending with around US$200 billion. Gribbin previously worked as chief counsel for the Federal Highway Administration and general
    Read More
  • PPRS: Roads are more than tarmac, they’re a global connection for people
    February 27, 2015
    The successful PPRS event in Paris enabled the sector to set the scene, to see clearly where it’s at technologically. But importantly, it also gave the sector an insight into where it has to go, said Jean-Francois Corte, secretary general of the World Road Association (PIARC), in his closing remarks. It showed that roads are not just a stand-alone national issue for individual governments, but a truly international issue, said Corte on the third and last day of the Pavement Preservation and Recycling Summit
    Read More
  • ASECAP: maintenance mindshift turns spending into investment
    August 4, 2017
    With an estimated value of €8 trillion, the road infrastructure is probably the European Union’s largest single asset. It accounts for 83% of passenger journeys and more than 70% of freight movement. Despite this importance, global investment in roads - especially maintenance - has fallen, said Christophe Nicodeme, European Road Federation secretary general. There are grave consequences, noted Nicodeme in his opening keynote address to the recent Study and Information Days gathering, an annual event for mem
    Read More

Highlighted Content