Conditions and Performance Chapter Listing

Conditions and Performance Home Page

Introduction

Background

Current Conditions and Performance

Projected Conditions and Performance in 2007

Resources Needed to Maintain and Improve the Interstate System

Addressing Interstate System Needs

Projected 10-Year Funding Levels for Interstate Highways and Bridges

Chapter 8 contained a projection of constant dollar highway capital spending by all levels of government for 1998-2003. This study extended this projection out to 2007 using the same basic methodology. Note that Federal funding levels can not be accurately predicted beyond 2003, the final year covered by TEA-21. For the purposes of this analysis, a simplifying assumption was made that Federal-aid highway obligations after 2003 would increase to keep pace with inflation, remaining at the same level as in 2003 in constant dollar terms. State and local spending was projected to increase approximately 2.8 to 3.0 percent annually in constant dollar terms from 2003 to 2007. Based on these assumptions, total highway capital expenditures by all levels of government for all functional systems for the 10 years from 1998 to 2007 were projected to be $555.7 billion stated in constant 1997 dollars.

Current Expenditure Patterns

All levels of government spent $11.0 billion for capital improvements to Interstate highways and bridges in 1997, which constituted 22.6 percent of the $48.7 billion of capital outlay on all functional classes. Exhibit A-5 breaks down this total by type of improvement. Only the $8.4 billion expended for the preservation and widening of existing Interstate highways and bridges corresponds to the analyses included in this section. Expenditures for new construction and for system enhancements (including traffic operational improvements, safety improvements and environmental enhancements) are not modeled by HERS or BNIP, and are not discussed in this section.

Exhibit A-5. Interstate Capital Expenditures, 1997

Projected Interstate Funding

Exhibit A-6 applies the percentages from Exhibit A-5 to the $555.7 billion projected spending level on all functional classes. Assuming the 1997 pattern of expenditures remains unchanged, and expenditures grow at the rate predicted, approximately $126.0 billion would be used for capital improvements to Interstate highways and bridges over the 10-year period 1998 through 2007.

Exhibit A-6. Projected 10-Year Capital Expenditures on Interstates