...many parts this system of concrete, asphalt, and steel are now a half century old and beginning to show their age.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

In August 2005, President George W. Bush signed into law the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). Among a number of other actions, the new law established a pilot program, Highways for LIFE (HfL), to promote innovations and new technologies for building highways faster, safer, of better quality, and in a way that minimizes congestion--in short, to breathe new life into the interstate system and other parts of the National Highway System.

Now, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is advancing the HfL program, highlighting and deploying vanguard technologies to cut through the unfamiliarity, inertia, and other factors delaying adoption of leading-edge practices. FHWA established dedicated teams with dedicated funding to market innovations to State and local transportation stakeholders. The way the Nation's highways are built and maintained could evolve significantly.

Need Is There, But Not the Money

From the day President Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, many of the pavements on the interstates were built for 20- to 25-year lifespans. The designs of the day anticipated conditions that were much less demanding than today's reality. Trucks are carrying heavier loads, and the sheer volume of traffic using the system is several times greater than anticipated. As a result, the system needs a makeover.

However, two cold facts stare that need in the face. First, funding for a nationwide construction effort is not there. Bringing the transportation system (including highways) up to par would take some $50 billion in additional funding, according to a 2003 estimate by the American Public Works Association. Not only is that amount not available, but projections anticipate less, not more, funding in the future, based on current financing systems. The traditional approach of taxing gasoline on a per-gallon basis at the pump is less effective today than it used to be. In the past, when vehicles averaged 4.3 kilometers per liter (10 miles per gallon), a motorist could drive 161 kilometers (100 miles) on 38 liters (10 gallons) of gasoline. At a tax rate of 5 cents per gallon, that trip would generate 50 cents in taxes. Today, with vehicles getting 12.8 kilometers per liter (30 miles per gallon), that same 161-kilometer (100-mile) trip would generate only 17 cents. Vehicles powered by alternative fuels such as electricity are cutting that amount even more. Further, with gasoline prices near $3 per gallon, legislators are wary of proposing increases in fuel taxes, which have been the core of highway funding. That means just maintaining current spending levels will be a challenge.

Second, such a massive construction effort would have an enormous impact on the National Highway System, including countless work zones delaying commuters, freight haulers, and other travelers. Further, the potential for injuries to both workers and highway users would increase with the proliferation of new work zones. And the public...

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.



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