Whether breaking down, congested, or simply lacking in safety features, a new report released by the national transportation research nonprofit known as TRIP hung as much as $4.7 billion in losses for Kentucky drivers on roads in need of investment.
Up to $2,154 per driver is being lost each year by that assessment, and the worst part is it is avoidable. Higher vehicle operating costs, crashes, and congestion-related delays are the main causes. The TRIP report – Kentucky Transportation by the Numbers: Meeting the State’s Need for Safe, Smooth, and Efficient Mobility – determined that investment in transportation improvements at local, state, and federal levels could fix many of the root issues.
Funding to the right projects could help bleed off some of the region’s traffic congestion, as well as improve road, bridge, and transit conditions, resulting in greater safety overall. It could also help support long-term economic growth for the state.
Broken down, it was congestion contributing most to the losses, at approximately $1.8 billion. Safety racked up another $1.6 billion, while extra vehicle operating costs (VOC) represented the final $1.3 billion share. The report found that more than one-quarter of Kentucky’s major local and state-maintained roads are now in poor or mediocre condition, while 7 percent of its bridges are deemed in poor condition or structurally deficient, leading to increased vehicle deterioration, repair costs, and fuel consumption. Deaths are also mounting from the collision of all this. The report placed Kentucky fourth in the nation for the rate of traffic fatalities.
“Additional federal funding from the IIJA will allow Kentucky to move forward with needed improvements to its transportation network that will make the state’s roads and bridges smoother, safer, and more efficient while boosting the economy and creating jobs,” Dave Kearby, TRIP’s executive director, said. “In addition to the federal investment, it will be critical that Kentucky continue to increase its level of transportation investment.”
According to Jim Henderson, executive director and CEO of the Kentucky Association of Counties, Kentucky’s counties maintain more than 50 percent of its public road miles and own a third of its bridges. Annually, some $587 billion in goods are shipped to and from Kentucky, but these rely on decent infrastructure. As the roads degrade, TRIP noted that they also put at jeopardy approximately 907,000 full-time jobs in industries such as tourism, retail, agriculture, and manufacturing.