Fixing America’s Roads and Bridges: The Path Forward

Transportation is a critical aspect of the US economy. The average annual capital investment necessary to maintain highway and bridge conditions at 2010 levels is between $65 billion and $87 billion. Meaningful improvements would cost as much as $145.9 billion per year—currently, we spend less than two-thirds of that amount. In this policy brief, CED recommends the following actions to address the challenges facing America’s surface transportation system: move toward user fees, encourage greater private-sector participation in road building and maintenance, improve project selection and foster “modal coordination” across systems, streamline regulatory review and permitting at all levels, invest in technology, and inform and educate the public.