Rebuilding Interstates: A Basic To-Do List for Project Delivery

This article describes how the Interstate Highway System (HIS) consists of over 50,000 miles of high capacity expressways and is considered to be the trunk transportation network of the nation. There is widespread agreement that this system is in a deficient and worsening state of operation and maintenance, and after decades of neglect and disrepair, this system needs urgent rehabilitation, reconstruction, and capacity expansion. This inadequate performance has had numerous negative impacts on the United States (US) economy and these negative effects multiply ever year. This article considers the possibility of converting some of the “free” interstate highway mileage to toll roads as one method of raising the necessary funds to support the rehabilitation, reconstruction, and expansion of the network. More than 50% of the HIS network has an annual average daily traffic (AADT) of around 40,000 or more, showing strong demand and high utility from its users. This concept of delivering self-sustainable toll projects on the existing HIS is the challenge and the opportunity for the nation to rebuild the backbone of the highway system and to make the existing funding system sustainable. While most projects of this type will have to be public-private partnerships (p3s), there is ample room for under-leveraged, existing public authorities to carry out these types of projects. The article suggests a basic to-do list to advance these types of projects.