States in the Midwest led the way in moving forward on more than 16,000 highway and bridge improvement projects, a new analysis of Federal Highway Administration data has found.
The analysis, “Federal Highway Investment Benefits by State,” conducted by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), found that Missouri had the most projects moving forward with 1,040, followed by Michigan (903), Ohio (796), Indiana (731) and Tennessee (663).
ARTBA’s Chief Economist Dr. Alison Premo Black found that states leveraged $31.4 billion in federal funds, and combined it with their own funds to advance nearly $57 billion in projects.
“One of the most attractive benefits of major public investments in transportation infrastructure is they foster immediate economic growth and create tangible capital assets that are long-lived,” Black said. “We expect to see even more projects in the coming year as states work to obligate the record increase in FY 2022 federal funding available through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) that was approved by Congress earlier this month.”
Nearly half of the projects – 43 percent – were for repair or reconstruction work. An additional 20 percent was used for adding capacity, such as a new lane or major widening, to an existing roadway. Investment in new roads or bridges accounted for six percent of funds.
The five largest projects nationally covered a mix of federal, state, local, and private funds, including $3.8 billion in Georgia for the SR 400 North Sprints Marta Station to McFarland Road Express Lane; $899 million in Arizona for the I-17 Split; $715 million in Texas to construct new roadway lanes on IH 35E, and $524 million to Louisiana for Phase 2 of the LA 1: Leeville to Golden Meadow project.