The National Transportation Research Nonprofit, TRIP, released its first report of 2023 on January 18 during a virtual news conference.
The report, titledKeep Moving Montana Forward: Progress and Challenges in Achieving a 21st Century Transportation System, takes a look at the mobility, efficiency, condition, and safety of Montana’s surface transportation system, the impact of HB 473, the impact of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), and the challenges Montana faces to accommodate future transportation growth and sustain adequate state funding.According to the report, Montana's highway investment is likely to increase thanks to the IIJA, providing $3.26 billion in state funds for highway, bridge and transit investments in Montana over the next five years, including a 33% funding increase in FY 2022. IIJA investment in Montana’s roads and transit system will add an additional $627 million in state GDP each year.
Statewide, 30 percent of Montana’s major roads are in poor or mediocre condition. Driving on rough roads costs the average Montana driver $526 annually in additional vehicle operating costs – a total of $427 million statewide. These additional vehicle operating costs include accelerated vehicle depreciation, additional vehicle repair costs, increased fuel consumption and increased tire wear.
Seven percent of Montana’s bridges are rated in poor/structurally deficient condition. Most bridges are designed to last 50 years before major overhaul or replacement, although many newer bridges are being designed to last 75 years or longer. In Montana, 41 percent of the state’s bridges are 50 years old or more.
From 2000 to 2019, vehicle travel in Montana increased by 30 percent. A lack of traffic reliability on Montana’s major highways and roads hampers the state’s ability to support economic development and quality of life by reducing the reliability and efficiency of personal and commercial travel, including the transport of goods and services. Traffic congestion robs commuters of time and money and imposes increased costs on businesses, shippers and manufacturers, which are often passed along to consumers.
To read the full report, click here.
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Source: TRIP
