Whether it’s a brick and mortar store, e-commerce, or agricultural operations, Americans count on a supply chain that moves goods with a high level of precision. An interconnected highway and bridge system is critical to move freight traffic that the United States Department of Transportation anticipates will increase by 40 percent within 25 years.
Sadly, highway spending has come nowhere close to keeping pace with current needs, let alone projected demand. As a result, state-level departments of transportation are forced to balance the needs of new capacity against the pressures of growing repair backlogs – a zero-sum game that affects all Americans, from farmers who rely on highways to get their crops to market to city dwellers who purchase produce shipped in from rural communities.
It is imperative that 2020 presidential candidates recognize the vital role our roads, bridges, and highways play in our national economy, and meet the challenges we face with the kind of robust investments that will take care of maintenance backlogs and allow for increased capacity.