Surface transportation: strategies are available for making existing road infrastructure perform better: report to the Ranking Member Committee on Environment and Public Works, U.S. Senate

For the past several decades, the capacity of the nation's road network has not grown fast enough to keep pace with demand. The increasing congestion is apparent to millions of commuters and freight operators. Although road building is perhaps the most familiar antidote, Congress, the Department of Transportation (DOT), and transportation research have emphasized the need to more efficiently use the existing infrastructure as a means to control congestion. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to examine various issues associated with increasing the efficient use of existing infrastructure. This report examines the following questions: (1) What factors inhibit the efficient use of the existing infrastructure of roads and highways? (2) What techniques have been developed for making the current infrastructure more efficient and what is known about the results? (3) How have local decision makers implemented these techniques? (4) What strategies exist for increasing the use of such techniques? To address these questions, GAO reviewed existing studies, examined efforts in five states, and sought transportation officials' views, among other things.

• Record URL:
  • http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d07920.pdf
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  Washington, DC   

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  ,    
• Publication Date: 2007-7

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 51p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Economic efficiency; Highway capacity; Highway operations; Infrastructure; Traffic congestion; Types of roads by network
• Uncontrolled Terms: Road design and management
• ATRI Terms: Efficiency; Infrastructure; Road management; Road network; Traffic capacity; Traffic congestion
• ITRD Terms: 8122: USA
• Subject Areas: Economics; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01387004
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: ARRB
• Files: ATRI
• Created Date: Aug 22 2012 9:59PM