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21St Annual Report on the Performance of State Highway Systems (1984–2012)

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Policy Study 436 September 2014 21st annual report on the performance of state highway systems (1984–2012) by David t. hartgen, ph.D., p.e. (maine, retired), m . gregory fields and Baruch feigenbaum reason foundation Reason Foundation’s mission is to advance a free society by developing, applying and promoting libertarian principles, including individual liberty, free markets and the rule of law. We use journalism and public policy research to influence the frame- works and actions of policymakers, journalists and opinion leaders. Reason Foundation’s nonpartisan public policy research promotes choice, compe- tition and a dynamic market economy as the foundation for human dignity and progress. Reason produces rigorous, peer-reviewed research and directly engages the policy process, seeking strategies that emphasize cooperation, flexibility, local knowl- edge and results. Through practical and innovative approaches to complex problems, Reason seeks to change the way people think about issues, and promote policies that allow and encourage individuals and voluntary institutions to flourish. Reason Foundation is a tax-exempt research and education organization as defined under IRS code 501(c)(3). Reason Foundation is supported by voluntary contribu- tions from individuals, foundations and corporations. The views are those of the author, not necessarily those of Reason Foundation or its trustees. Copyright © 2014, Reason Foundation. All rights reserved. Reason Foundation 21st Annual Report on the Performance of State Highway Systems (1984–2012) By David T. Hartgen, Ph.D., P.E. (Maine, Retired), M. Gregory Fields and Baruch Feigenbaum Executive Summary Reason Foundation’s 21st Annual Highway Report tracks the performance of the 50 state-owned highway systems from 1984 to 2012. Each state’s overall rating consists of 11 category rankings. The rankings include highway expenditures, Interstate and rural primary road pavement conditions, bridge conditions, urban Interstate/freeway congestion, fatality rates and narrow rural arterial lanes. The study is based on spending and performance data submitted by the state highway agencies to the federal government. It also reviews changes in highway performance since 2009, the prior report’s focus. Table ES1 summarizes recent system trends for key indicators. Although individual highway sections (roads, bridges, pavements) steadily deteriorate over time due to age, traffic and weather, they are periodically improved by maintenance and re-construction. Over the past four years the overall condition of the system has improved. In 2012 the overall condition of the U.S. state-owned highway system continued to improve, but progress appears to be slowing. Table ES1: Performance of State-Owned Highways, 2009–2012 Percent Change Statistic 2009 2010 2011 2012 2011–12 2009–12 Mileage under State Control (Thousands) 814.29 NA 813.69 814.28 0.07 0.00 Total Revenues, All Sources, $ Billions 117.02 131.27 126.69 132.86 4.87 13.54 Total Expenditures, $ Billions 117.69 122.51 124.16 132.01 6.32 12.17 Expenditures, Capital/Bridges, $ Billions 65.10 66.48 66.60 70.15 5.33 7.76 Expenditures, Maintenance, $ Billions 20.76 20.92 20.45 21.24 3.86 2.31 Expenditures, Administration, $ Billions 9.25 8.55 8.49 8.61 1.41 -6.92 Consumer Price Index (1987=100) 188.9 192.0 198.0 202.1 2.07 6.99 Rural Interstate, Percent Poor Condition 1.67 NA 1.78 1.78 0.00 6.59 Urban Interstate, Percent Poor Condition 4.97 NA 5.18 4.97 -4.05 0.00 Rural Arterial, Percent Poor Condition 0.65 NA 0.77 0.89 15.58 36.92 Urban Interstate/Freeway, Percent Congested 46.67 NA *42.15 NA NA **-9.69 Bridges, Percent Deficient 23.24 22.71 22.52 21.52 -4.44 -7.40 Fatality Rate per 100 Million Vehicle-Miles 1.15 1.11 1.10 1.13 2.72 -1.74 Rural Primary, Percent Narrow Lanes 9.66 NA 9.02 8.89 -1.44 -7.97 * change in method, see appendix; **2009–2011 change Overall, the system’s condition continued to improve from 2009 to 2012 (Figure ES1). Four of the seven key indicators of system condition showed improvement, including sizable decreases in urban Interstate congestion (which could be related to the change in method—see Appendix), fatality rates, deficient bridges and narrow rural lanes. But rural Interstate pavement condition and rural arterial pavement condition worsened, and urban Interstate pavement condition was unchanged. Between 2011 and 2012, two indicators worsened, one stayed the same, and three improved. These changes, following an increase in both absolute and per mile expenditures, suggest that an increase of focus on problems can yield positive results, but at a declining rate. Overall, expenditures for state-owned roads have increased about 12 percent since 2009, and 6.3 percent since 2011. Both increases exceed the rate of inflation. The 2009 recession year expenditures were slightly lower than 2008 expenditures (about 0.6 percent). In general, states have become more cost- efficient over the last four years: administrative costs have decreased almost seven percent, although there was a slight uptick from 2011 to 12. Additional funds were allocated to capital and bridge efforts (expenditures up 5.3 percent from 2011) and maintenance activities (expenditures up 3.9 percent from 2011). The top rankings continue to be dominated by relatively small rural states. Wyoming led the cost- effectiveness ratings, followed by Nebraska, South Dakota, South Carolina and Kansas. But two large states, Texas and Missouri, were top-12 performers, with Georgia (13th) and Ohio (14th) close behind. At the bottom were Hawaii, Alaska, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Most states continued to improve their systems. Increasingly, system performance problems seem to be concentrated in a few states: § Almost half (49.7 percent) of the poor-condition rural Interstate mileage is in just five states: Alaska, California, Colorado, Washington and Indiana. § Almost half (49.5 percent) of the poor-condition urban Interstate mileage is in just six states: California, New York, Louisiana, New Jersey, Michigan and Texas. § Two states (Alaska and Hawaii) reported more than 10 percent of their rural principal arterial mileage to be in poor condition. § Eight states (Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Illinois, California, Nevada, Georgia and Indiana) reported more than half of their urban Interstates/freeways congested. § Although bridge conditions are steadily improving, seven states (Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Connecticut and West Virginia) reported that more than 1/3rd of their bridges are deficient, with Rhode Island reporting more than half of its bridges as deficient. § Most states are improving their fatality rates. But eight states (West Virginia, South Carolina, Montana, North Dakota, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana and Mississippi) reported a rate greater than 1.5 fatalities per 100 million vehicle-miles. § Three states (Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia) reported more than 1/3rd of their rural principal arterial mileage with narrow lanes. Figure ES1: Trends in U.S. State Highway Performance, 1998–2012 2.50 2.00 Disbursements per Mile 1.50 Worse Urban Freeway Congestion Rural Narrow Lanes 1.00 Deficient Bridges Performance vs 1998 Fatality Rate Better 0.50 Rural Interstate Condition Urban Interstate Condition Rural Primary Condition 0.00 1998 2000 2002 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 A widening gap seems to be emerging between most states that are making progress, and a few states that are finding it difficult to improve. There is also increasing evidence that higher-level road systems (Interstates, other freeways and principal arterials) are in better shape than lower-level road systems, particularly local roads. Reason Foundation Table of Contents State Highway Performance Ranks ............................................................. 1 Background Data ...................................................................................... 8 State-Controlled Miles ......................................................................................... 8 State Highway Agency (SHA) Miles ..................................................................... 10 Performance Indicators ........................................................................... 12 Capital and Bridge Disbursements ...................................................................... 13 Maintenance Disbursements .............................................................................. 15 Administrative Disbursements ............................................................................ 17 Total Disbursements ......................................................................................... 19 Rural Interstate Condition .................................................................................. 21 Urban Interstate Condition ................................................................................ 24 Rural Other Principal Arterial Pavement Condition .............................................. 27 Urban Interstate/Freeway Congestion ................................................................ 30 Deficient Bridges ............................................................................................... 33 Fatality Rates .................................................................................................... 36 Narrow Rural Lanes ........................................................................................... 39 Appendix: Technical Notes .....................................................................
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