Top 10 Stats on America’s Crumbling Infrastructure

The White House kicked off “Infrastructure Week” early last month, a week dedicated to raising awareness for President Trump’s plans to fix America’s crumbling infrastructure. While the debates on exactly how to pay for the investments needed to fund these improvements are still under way, there is no question that this is a critical issue that needs immediate attention. 

How critical? The 10 stats below paint a dismal picture:   

1. The U.S. has 614,387 bridges, almost 4 in 10 of which are 50 years or older 
2. 9% of these bridges were structurally deficient in 2016, and there were 188 million trips across a structurally deficient bridge each day 
3. 2 out of 5 miles of America’s urban interstates are congested 
4. In 2014, Americans spent 6.9 billion hours in traffic, costing the country $160 billion in wasted time and fuel 
5. 1 out of every 5 miles of highway pavement is in poor condition 
6. After years of decline, traffic fatalities increased by 7% from 2014 to 2015
7. In 2016, U.S. roads carried people and goods over 3 trillion miles—the equivalent of 300 round trips between Earth and Pluto 
8. Vehicle miles traveled is at its second highest level ever, second only to 2007
9. The U.S. needs to spend $420 billion to repair existing highways and $123 billion to repair bridges
10. Each dollar spent on road, highway and bridge improvements returns $5.20 in the form of lower vehicle maintenance costs, decreased delays, reduced fuel consumption, improved safety, lower road and bridge maintenance costs and reduced emissions

Fleets who rely on vehicle tracking technologies already have an advantage in navigating the aging roads and bridges and avoiding related traffic congestion. However, the cost of unsafe roads are still mounting, creating an unexpected burden for fleets who are under pressure to do more with less – more miles traveled, with fewer vehicle failures or delays. 

To learn about how GPS tracking software can help you get more out of your fleet visit http://www.teletracnavman.com/our-solutions/fleet-management-software. 

SOURCE: The American Society of Civil Engineers, 2017 Infrastructure Report Card