The Bottom Line Report is a comprehensive assessment of highway, bridge, and transit investment needs, which provides a definitive base of information for decisions about levels of necessary investment. It is based on the forecasting models and data systems used by the US Federal Highway Administration and the US Federal Transit Administration, and on the results of FHWA analyses, supplemented by additional research. The Bottom Line Report is the most comprehensive analysis of the nation's transportation investment needs that is now possible.
Key Findings
During the recent recession and long recovery there have been opportunities for governments to "catch up" with road system and transit investment requirements at a time when demand growth was limited and construction and rehabilitation costs were low. Unfortunately, this has not been realized as federal, state and local government resources were sharply limited by the same recession.
As a result, the backlog of national investment needs for both rehabilitation and other condition improvements, and response to historical capacity deficits remain substantial.
America faces a growing backlog of transportation infrastructure investment need. While the temporary increase of spending from the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act helped address some immediate concerns, the ongoing underinvestment in the national transportation system has resulted in an aging system in dire need of a long-term, sustainable source of funding.
The 2015 Bottom Line report reveals that the cumulative investment needed to meet today’s need just for highways and bridges – independent of future growth prospects – tops $740 billion over 6 years. With annual spending at approximately $83.1 billion, the need is a huge number and it is growing.
