FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, March 6, 1998
Contact: Bill Adams
Tel.: (202) 366-5580
DOT 43-98
Slater Says Record Infrastructure Investments Have Made A
Difference, But A Balanced ISTEA Will Be Critical to Maintaining
Progress
Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater, in releasing a report on the status of the nation’s surface transportation system, said record levels of transportation investment by President Clinton over the last five years has closed the infrastructure deficit, but a balanced ISTEA (Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act) reauthorization bill, addressing highway, transit and highway safety needs, is critical to the country’s economic vitality.
"Under President Clinton’s leadership, we are closing the infrastructure deficit, but much remains to be done," said Secretary Slater. "This report makes clear the critical need for a balanced ISTEA bill that meets both highway and transit needs."
The Condition and Performance Report: 1997 Status of the Nation’s Surface Transportation System, is a bi-annual report to Congress that provides information on the physical and operating characteristics of the highway, bridge and transit portions of the nation’s surface transportation system.
The report finds that national public road mileage has increased 1.3 percent since 1985, while highway travel has increased 36.5 percent. Congestion has increased as a result. The amount of pavement in good and/or fair condition continues to increase, while poor pavement continues to decrease. Highway safety continues to improve, but at a decreasing rate.
The report finds that the pavement condition of the nation’s urban and rural highways has improved overall between 1993 and 1995. The percent of poor pavement on urban Interstates increased very slightly from 9.5 percent to 9.8 percent. The percentage of poor pavement on rural Interstates declined more dramatically from 6.9 percent to 5.1 percent.
The report also finds that the condition of the nation’s bridges has improved since 1990, with the percentage of deficient bridges on Interstate systems declining from 28.6 percent in 1990 to 24.8 percent in 1996. Deficient bridges are not necessarily unsafe, but in many cases are not built to meet current traffic demands.
With concerted efforts in driver education and seatbelt usage, elimination of roadside hazards, improvements in ride quality and road geometrics and safety management, even in the face of significant growth in highway travel and demand, transport agencies have continued to reduce fatalities and crashes, although recent years have seen a stabilization in that trend. The fatality rate on rural Interstate highways declined from 1.40 to 0.99 per 100 million vehicle miles of travel between 1985 and 1995. On urban Interstates, the rate declined over the same period from 0.94 to 0.55 per 100 million vehicles miles of travel. The overall fatality rate in 1995 was 1.73 for all roads.
The transit vehicle fleet increased 32 percent between 1985 and 1995, and transit speed of service has increased. About 80 percent of transit riders have to wait times of less than 10 minutes. The condition of light rail equipment has improved, but there has been a slight decline in the condition of buses and heavy rail equipment.
The overall condition of the bus and urban transit fleet in 1995 reflected an adequate, but slightly declining bus condition trend since 1985. The report finds a significant backlog of overage buses in need of replacement, and of overage vehicles of all types in the rural transit fleets.
Public funding for transit in 1995 was $16.5 billion. The federal share was $4.1 billion, and the state and local share was $12.4 billion. During the era of the ISTEA era, 1991 to present, local share of total transit funding has remained near 77 percent, up from a 1980 low of 45 percent.
Copies of the report can be obtained by calling toll-free 1-800-240-5674 or in the Washington, D.C. area, (202) 366-9899.
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