Evan Soltas notes that while lawmakers have voiced significant concerns over the quality of US roads and bridges, “infrastructure has improved significantly over the last two decades.”
“In its report for 2010, the Federal Highway Administration said that 57 percent of all vehicle-miles were traveled on federal highways with ratings of ‘good’ or higher… That was up from 48 percent in 2000. The percentage of roads in bad condition has also declined.”
“America’s bridges have never been safer. The highway administration rated 21.9 percent of its bridges ‘deficient’ in 2009, as compared to 37.8 percent in 1989. And contrary to Obama’s implication, the word ‘deficient’ does not mean unsafe.”
“Traffic congestion has diminished. In 1989, 52.6 percent of urban interstates were rated ‘congested’ according to a comparison of peak volume to planned capacity. In 2009, the figure was 26.3 percent.”
