AASHTO Journal, 22 August 2014
Deficient roads and bridges, and roads that are congested or lack desirable safety features cost Alabama motorists a total of $3.1 billion statewide annually, according to a new report released this week by TRIP, a Washington, DC based national transportation organization.
The new report, “Alabama Transportation by the Numbers: Meeting the State’s Need for Safe and Efficient Mobility,” says Alabama drivers pay more than $1,200 per year due to higher vehicle operating costs, traffic crashes and congestion-related delays.
Increased investment in transportation improvements at the local, state and federal levels could relieve traffic congestion, improve road and bridge conditions, boost safety, and support long-term economic growth in Alabama, according to the report.
The TRIP report says that throughout Alabama, 15 percent of major urban roads and highways are in poor condition. Nearly a quarter of Alabama’s bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.
“The state’s major urban roads are becoming increasingly congested, with drivers wasting significant amounts of time and fuel each year,” the report says. “And Alabama’s rural non-interstate traffic fatality rate is nearly double the fatality rate on all other roads in the state.”
For more information, visit http://www.tripnet.org.
