Study warns of impending transportation crisis

For years Iowans, even those who reside in the state’s largest cities, have remained blissfully ignorant of the transportation woes that impact drivers throughout the nation. In fact, easy commutes to and from work are one aspect of Iowa life promoted by the state’s tourism and economic development agencies to prospective residents and businesses.

But such good fortune won’t last forever, warns a national association of transportation officials, if the nation doesn’t address the ever-increasing freight burdens placed on highways and other available transport routes.

The American Association of State Highways and Transportation Officials held joint news conferences Thursday in Des Moines, Memphis, Tenn. and Harrisburg, Penn. to release a study of America’s freight system. According to the report, the nation’s highways, railroads, ports, waterways and airports require investments well beyond current levels to maintain — much less improve — their performance and strengthen the American economy.

It’s a message that Larry “Butch” Brown, president of the national organization and executive director of the Mississippi Valley Conference of State Highway and Transportation Departments, made clear during the regional group’s ongoing annual meeting in Des Moines when he said that “Congress must invest in all transportation models, from waterways to roads and rails, to get us where we need to be as a competitive nation — millions of jobs and our nation’s long-term economic health depend on it.”

In 10 years, according to the study, an additional 1.8 million trucks will be on the road. In 20 years, one truck will have been added for every two currently on the road. Bottlenecks encountered on the nation’s highways by truckers add millions of dollars to the cost of food, goods and manufacturing equipment for consumers.

On average, 10,500 trucks a day currently travel busy sections of the Interstate Highway System. By 2035, the study projects that the number of trucks will increase to 22,700, and that more busy sections of roadway will be visited by 50,000 trucks per day.

According to Iowa specific information within the report, between 35,000 and 52,000 vehicles a day travel the I-80 corridor on the west side of Iowa City/Coralville, while 34,000 and 21,000 vehicles use the I-380 and US 218 corridors respectfully. Thirty percent of the I-80 traffic is from commercial trucks.

The I-80 and I-380 interchange in northeastern Iowa is currently serving traffic volumes that have exceeded its design capacity. By 2030, according to the report, traffic in that area will more than double.

Although there is a proposed project to replace the ramps and increase capacity, it comes with a price tag of $250 million. Without it, however, state officials warn that traffic will slow to a crawl in the area and congestion will increase.

While there is little doubt that Iowa needs infrastructure updates if residents are to continue enjoying less stressful commutes and travel, the state has actually not entered the crisis area that others are experiencing.

According to a 2009 study by the INRIX Corporation, 19 states have portions of the roads in the most heavily used 1,000 miles of expressways with the highest volume of long-haul freight. However, 88 percent of the mileage on those roads comes from six states — California, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas and Pennsylvania.

The AASHTO report is the second in a series of three intended to outline the building transportation crisis in the U.S.