US Traffic Woes and Highway Infrastructure Management

The past three years have been a huge breakout for the auto industry in terms of car and light trucks sales. This is because their sales skyrocketed from year-to-year. In 2013 and 2014, the number of vehicles sold were 15.6 and 16.5 million, respectively. However, the US auto sales set a record 17.5 million for the most number of cars and trucks sold in 2015.

Assuming that these same number of cars and trucks are being used in a daily basis and added to the estimated 250 million vehicles that pass on US roads daily based on the previous years daily road usage, one can expect traffic crisis due to vehicle congestion, road repairs and maintenance, and, probably the biggest reason, poor roads and highway infrastructure management. 

Solving traffic woes would lead for some to consider limiting acquiring of cars. However, the most clear cut solution to this is to improve its road and highway infrastructure asset management. 

Highway Infrastructure Management 

With the reality that most of the roads, highways and bridges in the US suffer from fast deterioration due to the fast changing climate and daily usage for decades, the more it needs to consider having a thorough infrastructure management system. 

This management system will create highway management team that will overlook on the roads, pavement and bridge infrastructure deterioration and the proper maintenance that comes with it. The research and findings of this team is very crucial because this will put up the groundwork for other functions of the asset management system. 

As per road survey in cities in every states, the major roads are in the worst shape. This will more likely add to the worsening scenario of vehicle congestion and every car owner's traffic woes.

Another function of this asset management system is to allocate budget policies. This budget policy includes adding private investors to compliment the budget allocated by the federal government.

Eventhough the federal government spent over $90 billion per year in road construction and maintenance, it is still not enough to complete the road maintenance. Tax revenues from gas and road usage and toll fees are also not enough to add to this budget. This reality is proven true by the Federal Highway Administration which estimated that a capital investment of over $150 billion should be spent every year.

Traffic Solutions

As much as we talk about solving the traffic crisis, reality also tells us that there is really no clear cut solution to decongesting the number of vehicles on the road everyday. Improved road and highways to ease traffic will continue to be a daily wait-and-see scenario.

A much better handling in traffic management through highway infrastructure asset management system assures us that solutions in traffic will be handled well. It may not be tomorrow but when that day comes, traffic woes will not be that worst than before highway asset management plans were introduced and implemented.