<img width="150" src="http://www.automotive-fleet.com/fc_images/articles/m-toll-road-1.jpg" border="0" alt="
Photos: PrePass
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Photos: PrePass
">It's hard to listen to the news these days without hearing about the current state of the U.S. infrastructure. Nearly everyone agrees that the highways, roads, and bridges are in dire need of immediate attention.
According to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)'s 2017 Infrastructure Report Card, “America's roads are crowded, frequently in poor condition, chronically underfunded, and becoming more dangerous. More than two out of every five miles of America's urban interstates are congested and traffic delays cost the country $160 billion in wasted time and fuel in 2014. One out of every five miles of highway pavement is in poor condition and our roads have a significant and increasing backlog of rehabilitation needs.”
In fact, U.S. roads rank #16 in terms of quality compared to roads in other nations. Conditions are so bad that the ASCE gave America's infrastructure a grade of D+.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Beyond Traffic 2014: Trends and Choices, America's population will grow by 70 million by 2045. Over this same period, the U.S. economy is forecast to grow by 115% to $36.7 trillion, with freight volume growing by 29 billion tons – an increase of 45%.
While this growth is good news for the transportation industry, the not so good news is that by 2040 approximately 30,000 miles of the busiest highways in the country will be congested on a daily basis. What does this mean for our current highways, roads, and bridges, and how do we keep pace with this growth?
Recently, President Donald Trump maintained his pledge for $1 trillion in new infrastructure, although details of this plan have not yet been formulated. Trump indicated that private-sector investment will help minimize public costs, very likely resulting in a mix of funding types, both private and public, to pay for much-needed repairs