We’re in an era where US infrastructure is getting a lot of attention. We need a lot of energy infrastructure for decarbonization, and to enable th

How Good Are American Roads? - by Brian Potter

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2024-11-20 15:00:08

We’re in an era where US infrastructure is getting a lot of attention. We need a lot of energy infrastructure for decarbonization, and to enable the AI data center buildout. There’s lots of interest in building high-speed rail, mass transit infrastructure, desalination plants in arid regions, and better ports.

One facet of infrastructure that doesn’t get all that much attention is roads, despite the fact that they’re crucial transportation infrastructure, and probably the infrastructure that Americans interact with most directly and consistently. The US has the largest road network in the world, about 4.3 million miles of road, and Americans drive much more than residents in most other countries. Good-quality roads are important for a functioning economy, and rough roads inflict costs in the form of reduced vehicle speeds.

Overall, the quality of US interstates is very high, while the quality of roads in major cities is quite poor. And while there’s some anecdotal evidence that US roads are worse than European roads, I wasn’t able to find much international road quality data to compare. The limited data I found points to the US not being a huge outlier in road quality. But more data is needed to compare accurately.