As a recent special report by Asphalt Contractor on the state of the transportation sector confirms, there is a critical need to increase federal investment in transportation infrastructure and shore up the beleaguered Highway Trust Fund. America’s outdated transportation systems — roads, bridges, airports, ports and more — are in dire need of not simply repair but substantial upgrades and in some cases outright replacement to keep up with expanding traffic volumes.
While the current state of infrastructure is the most immediate concern, further upgrades will be called for in the not so distant future to keep up with a changing transportation landscape. Consider the increasing popularity of alternatively fueled vehicles, which is producing exciting advances in both vehicles and the roads they travel. A recent example is a test project in California, where Siemens built the first highway in the U.S. capable of charging electric vehicles as they move. This one-mile stretch of road will power specific trucks traveling between the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. As electrification gains traction in other areas of the country, more such roadways will have to be built.
The advancing use of autonomous vehicles promises to bring even broader changes to U.S. streets and highways. According to Roadview, a Madison, WI-based firm specializing in geospatial mapping of transportation infrastructure, driverless cars will require vast amounts of real-time vehicle-to-infrastructure communications data to navigate effectively. This sensor-generated “digital road map” will enable them to better understand and safely traverse their environment. Beyond the on-vehicle sensors and systems, a technology network will need to be installed all along the routes the vehicles travel.
Such routes could take on a new appearance, as well. Roadview forecasts autonomous vehicles will propel an evolution toward reduced lane widths, less signage and traffic signals, massive changes in the location, form and amount of parking needed and the addition of drop-off lanes as ride sharing becomes increasingly common. The company also foresees a corresponding reduction in overall traffic volume and congestion.
Such changes won’t happen overnight, but may emerge sooner than you think, as the Siemens example and others illustrate. Yet, historically, infrastructure development has been painfully slow to adapt, and may prove even slower should efforts to procure added federal funds fail to materialize in the very near future. Despite proposed investment plans coming out of the White House and Congress, legislative battles over the spending bill, immigration, the border wall, etc., plus upcoming mid-term elections, have ratcheted tensions on Capital Hill to the highest level most of us have seen in our lifetimes, making the likelihood of cooperation on even a popular agenda item uncertain.
So where does that leave the transportation construction industry? Leading economists participating in the Asphalt Contractor report try to answer this question. Yet, as they note, there are many unknowns clouding the expectations and outlook.
Fortunately, state and local governments are stepping up to pass initiatives to invest more in infrastructure development. Yet, this is a stop-gap measure — federal funds will be required to accomplish what is required on a large scale and over the long term. As we rapidly approach a critical juncture for the industry, it’s imperative to maintain pressure on legislators to find viable solutions and keep U.S. transportation networks moving forward.
