Improving the condition of pavement and bridges is critical to the structural integrity and cost effectiveness of the transportation system.  The condition of the national highway system (NHS) also affects congestion, the wear-and-tear on vehicles, the comfort of travelers, and fuel consumption.  Steady progress has been made over the past decade to improve pavement condition.  Of the approximately 590,000 bridges in the National Bridge Inventory (NBI), some 115,000 are on the NHS, which serves the major population centers in the U.S., international border crossings, intermodal transportation facilities, and major travel destinations.  Because of the Department’s focus on maintaining and improving the NHS, this subset of bridges is in better condition than the total bridge inventory.  However, approximately 36,000 of these bridges were still rated either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, in terms of dimensions, load or other characteristics in 2000.

Performance Goal:

Improve and expand the NHS to increase system efficiency and improve safety.

Performance measure:

# Projection from trends.

External Factors: Vehicle-miles traveled (VMT) grew by over 2% annually during the past decade, in consonance with the U.S. economy’s growth.  Growth in freight volume resulting in increased loads on pavement has increased pavement and bridge deterioration.

Strategies and Initiatives to Achieve 2004 Target: DOT resources attributable to this performance goal are depicted below:

 

FHWA provides technical assistance and training to State officials and other partners in order to encourage the deployment of technologies, including innovative construction techniques and pavement preservation practices, that improve pavement condition as measured by ride quality.  FHWA encourages use of bridge materials that are more durable and resistant to traffic loads and corrosive attack, resulting in less maintenance and fewer traffic restrictions. These technologies improve bridge condition, as measured by the percent of deck area on bridges rated either structurally deficient or obsolete.

Given past and future investments, NHS physical condition and ride quality performance will continue to improve.  FHWA will continue progress on a number of key pavement and bridge condition initiatives:

▪          more use of innovative pavement technologies through FHWA technical assistance, best practice workshops, and training to State DOTs; equipment upgrades and adoption of recommended specifications and protocols; and improved pavement smoothness measuring equipment;

▪          more use of high performance bridge materials through FHWA technical assistance and training in high performance materials, new design techniques, and cost effective details for bridges; and use of innovative materials that are more durable and resistant to traffic loads and corrosive attack, resulting in less maintenance and traffic restriction; and

▪          increased use of Transportation Asset Management concepts and practices, engineering economic analysis tools and data management systems to optimize State road and bridge resource allocation. 

While bridges on national park roads remain in high quality condition, maintenance backlogs have led to deteriorated pavement on key routes.  In 2001, only about 35% of the pavement on national park roads was in good condition.  In support of the President’s National Parks Legacy Project, FHWA will fund more maintenance on national park roads.  FHWA and its partners’ long-term goal is to increase the portion of the pavement on park roads that is rated good to 85% by 2009.

FHWA supplementary performance measures:

Other Federal Programs with Common Outcomes:  FHWA works closely with Department of the Interior, Department of Agriculture, and Department of Defense agencies, including the Forest Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Land Management, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Military Traffic Management Command, to improve mobility on Federally owned lands.