Rural Transportation Need Tops $180B

Rural roads and bridges have significant deficiencies, high fatality rates, and lack adequate capacity according to a recent study done by TRIP, a national transportation research group.

According to the report, the backlog of work totals more than $180 billion.

The report, “Rural Connections: Examining the Safety, Connectivity, Condition and Funding Needs of America’s Rural Roads & Bridges,” evaluates the safety and condition of the nation’s rural roads and bridges.

According to the report, rural transportation faces significant challenges: they lack adequate capacity; they fail to provide needed levels of connectivity to many communities; and they cannot adequately support growing freight travel in many corridors. Rural roads and bridges have significant deficiencies and deterioration, they lack many desirable safety features, and rural non-Interstate roads experience fatal traffic crashes at a rate far higher than all other roads and highways.

Slightly more than one in 10 (12 percent) of U.S. rural roads are rated in poor condition, 19 percent are in mediocre condition, 17 percent are in fair condition, and the remaining 51 percent are in good condition.

Slightly fewer than one in 10 (8 percent) of rural bridges are rated in poor/structurally deficient condition, meaning there is significant deterioration to the major components of the bridge. Poor/structurally deficient bridges are often posted for lower weight or closed to traffic, restricting or redirecting large vehicles, including agricultural equipment, commercial trucks, school buses, and emergency services vehicles.

About half (48 percent) of rural bridges are rated fair. A fair rating indicates that a bridge’s structural elements are sound but minor deterioration has occurred to the bridge’s deck, substructure or superstructure. The remaining 44 percent of rural bridges are rated in good condition.

“The health of the nation’s economy and the safety and quality of life in America’s small communities and rural areas ride on our rural transportation system,” said Dave Kearby, executive director of TRIP, in a prepared statement. “Providing the nation with a rural transportation network that supports rural America’s economy and will support its future development will require that the U.S. invest in a rural transportation system that is safe, efficient, and well-maintained, and that provides adequate mobility and connectivity to the nation’s rural communities.”

Source: TRIP