The Nation's transportation infrastructure comprises more than 4 million miles of roads, about 19,400 public and private use airports, nearly 95,400 miles of Class I railroads,¹ and 25,000 miles of navigable waterways as detailed in box 1-A. While China's and India's transportation systems serve many more people (an estimated 1.5 billion and 1.2 billion, respectively, in 2013), the United States ranks first in the number of airports and miles of roads and freight rail [USCIA 2013]. In 2013 the U.S. transportation system served 316.1 million residents plus millions of businesses and visitors—7.4 million and 67 million, respectively [USDOC CENSUS 2014].

Assets and Investments

Transportation capital stock includes structures (e.g., bridges, stations, and ports) and equipment (e.g., automobiles, aircraft, and ships). According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. transportation capital stock was valued at an estimated $7.7 trillion in 2012, an increase of about $300 billion (4.1 percent) over 2011 estimates.²  Table 1-1 shows the estimated value of transportation capital stock increased steadily from 2005 to 2012, except for a small dip in 2009.

Transportation assets are owned by both the public and private sectors. Freight railroad facilities and equipment are almost entirely owned by the private sector, while state and local governments own highways and bridges, airports, seaports, and transit structures. In total, publicly owned transportation accounted for over one-half of transportation capital stock; public highways and streets accounted for the largest share (42.5 percent) of this stock and much of the growth over the past few years. "Other" publicly owned transportation, such as airports, seaports, and transit structures, accounted for 8.6 percent.

In-house transportation is the largest category among the private sector components. It accounted for 16.6 percent of transportation capital stock in 2012, most of which was highway-related (e.g., fleets of trucks owned by grocery chains). Railroads, the next largest private sector category, accounted for 5.1 percent of U.S. capital stock, followed by air with 2.8 percent. Motor vehicles owned by households and individuals, some of which are used for business purposes, accounted for 17.7 percent of capital stock.

The total value of transportation construction put in place in 2012 was nearly $119 billion, an increase of 4.0 percent over 2011 levels (table 1-2), of which 67.8 percent was spent on public highway and street construction. Private transportation construction accounted for 40.4 percent of that increase. Chapter 6 details transportation infrastructure spending and the revenues generated by each transportation mode.

Roads, Bridges, and Vehicles

Roads

Public roads, including interstate highways, other major arterials, and local routes, totaled nearly 4.1 million miles in 2012, changing little from 2005 (as shown in box 1-A). Lanemiles increased 2.8 percent between 2005 and 2012. Local roads are by far the most extensive, amounting to 2.8 million miles (69.3 percent of total system miles.) However, interstate highways, which accounted for only about 47,400 miles (1.2 percent of total system miles), handled the highest volumes of traffic as measured by vehicle-miles traveled—24.6 percent in 2012. Large Western and Midwestern states, such as Texas, California, Illinois, Kansas, and Minnesota, have the most public road mileage.³ The District of Columbia, followed by Hawaii, Delaware, Rhode Island, and Vermont, had the lowest public road and street mileage [USDOT FHWA 2013a].

Bridges

About 607,400 bridges were in use in 2012, ranging in size from rural one-lane bridges crossing creeks to urban multilane and multilevel interstate bridges. Rural local bridges accounted for about 33.8 percent of the total bridge network. By comparison, bridges in the urban and rural interstate system accounted for about 9.2 percent of all bridges in 2012, but carried the highest volumes of motor vehicle traffic. Texas had the most bridges, accounting for 8.6 percent of the entire U.S. bridge network, followed by Ohio with 4.5 percent and Illinois with 4.4 percent [USDOT FHWA 2013b]. Chapter 2 includes a detailed discussion on the physical condition of the Nation's bridges.

Vehicles

Government, businesses, private individuals, and nongovernmental organizations owned and operated about 254 million motor vehicles in 2012, up by 2.5 percent from 2005 levels (box 1-A). However, motor vehicle registrations dropped 4.5 percent and new light-duty vehicles (cars and light trucks) reached a low in 2009 as businesses and households deferred purchases during the economic recession [USDOE ORNL 2013] that began in December 2007 and continued through June 2009 [NBER 2013].

Motor vehicle registrations have grown at a faster rate than licensed drivers and the population since the 1960s (figure 1-1). This growth produced an increase in the average number of motor vehicles owned by households. Motor vehicle registrations have since rebounded from the economic recession, but remain 1.2 percent below the peak set in 2008. In 2011 U.S. motor vehicle registrations comprised 23.3 percent of the world total, down from 27.5 percent in 2005. By comparison, China accounted for 8.7 percent of the world's motor vehicle registrations in 2011, up from 3.5 percent in 2005 [USDOE ORNL 2013]. Increases in vehicle registrations from 2011 to 2012 varied widely by vehicle type. For example, among passenger vehicles, registrations for light-duty short-wheelbase vehicles decreased by 0.2 percent, and lightduty long-wheelbase vehicles increased by 0.5 percent. Motorcycle registrations rose by 0.2 percent, continuing a long-term upward trend.⁴

The numbers of single-unit and combination trucks registrations were up 4.7 and 0.7 percent, respectively, between 2011 and 2012. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2012 Economic Census, many of these vehicles were operated by the more than 111,200 trucking establishments in the United States. Between the Census Bureau's 2007 and 2012 Economic Census, a period of time that included the December 2007 through June 2009 recession, the number of trucking establishments decreased by 7.6 percent [USDOC CENSUS 2012].

The number of buses increased by 14.8 percent between 2011 and 2012, but remained below 2005 levels. Buses owned by schools, churches, and other groups accounted for nearly 60 percent of the drop in registrations [USDOT FHWA 2012]. Several factors contributed to this decrease, including school budget cuts, rising fuel costs resulting in a consolidation of routes, and a rise in the number of children arriving at school by other means, including private vehicle [AASA 2012]. During the 2011–2012 school year, 29.2 percent of school districts reduced bus transportation services and availability.

About 3,600 carriers operated more than 35,000 motorcoaches (or over-the-road buses) in the United States in 2012. An additional 300 Canadian carriers operated over 4,000 motorcoaches, some of which also operate in the United States. Two-thirds of carriers provide more than one service—almost every carrier (97.4 percent) provided charter service, followed by tours (45.0 percent), airport shuttle services (25.3 percent), scheduled services (22.7 percent), sightseeing (20.8 percent), special operations (14.9 percent), and commuter services (10.0 percent). The motorcoach industry provided about 637 million person trips, more than 319 million of which were to students (18 years of age and younger) and seniors (55 years or older)—who accounted for 50.1 percent of motorcoach passengers in 2012 [ABA 2014].

Alternative fuel and hybrid vehicles account for a small but growing segment of the Nation's vehicle fleet. Alternative fuel vehicles numbered approximately 1.2 million, less than 1 percent of all U.S. vehicles in 2012 [USDOE EIA 2013a]. Flex fuel vehicles, which account for 72.4 percent of alternative fuel vehicles, can use conventional gasoline or gasoline-ethanol mixtures of up to 85 percent ethanol (E85) (table 1-3a). Liquid petroleum gas/propane (LPG) and compressed/liquefied natural gas (CNG/LNG) powered vehicles accounted for 11.7 and 10.2 percent, respectively, of the total alternative fuel vehicle fleet in 2012. Hybrid vehicles, which are not considered alternative fuel vehicles, are powered by a combination of gasoline/diesel and electric engines. Hybrid sales totaled 432,000 in 2012, up more than 65 percent over 2011 sales. There are over 2.1 million hybrids on the road today [USDOE EIA 2013b].

Between 2007 and 2011, the number of alternative vehicle fueling stations (biodiesel, electric charging, ethanol, hydrogen, natural gas, and propane) increased from about 6,000 to nearly 27,000. The addition of 13,000 electric charging stations contributed to this growth (table 1-3b) [USDOE EIA 2013b]. Chapter 8 includes a detailed discussion on the Nation's transportation energy use and environmental impacts.

Aviation

The United States has more airports than any other nation, accounting for 32.3 percent of the world's total [USCIA 2013]. Box 1-A shows that in 2012 the United States had about 19,700 airports, ranging from rural grass-landing strips to urban rooftop heliports to large, paved, multiple-runway airports. Many commercial airports now serve aircraft that are larger than those serviced a decade ago as airlines seek to maximize profits by increasing capacity and by seating more passengers. The passenger load factor – an indicator of capacity utilization – for U.S. airlines has grown from 73.6 percent in 2003 to 82.8 percent in 2013 [USDOT BTS OAI 2014]. Most of the nearly 5,200 public-use facilities are general aviation airports, serving a wide range of users. In addition, there are about 14,300 private airports, which are relatively small. Figure 1-2 shows the passenger boardings at the top 50 airports in 2013. These airports account for 83.2 percent (about 580 million) of the U.S. passenger enplanements on all domestic flights in 2013 [USDOT BTS OAI 2014].

Public Transit

Public transit provided 10.4 billion unlinked trips in 2012, up by 1.2 billion (12.8 percent) over the 2005 total. Over 800 urban transit agencies and more than 1,500 rural and tribal government transit agencies offer a range of travel options, including commuter, transit, and trolley bus; subway and light rail; and ferryboat. Buses accounted for a majority (about 46.0 percent) of the 139,700 transit vehicles (box 1-A). In 2012 these transit agencies operated nearly 4,900 stations, 78.7 percent of which comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Transit agencies vary widely in size, ranging from 1 to 12,500 vehicles (e.g., the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority) [USDOT FTA NTD 2012].

Railroads

The United States had almost 140,000 miles of track in 2012 [USCIA 2013], including about 95,400 miles owned and operated by the seven Class I railroads [USDOT BTS 2013b].⁵ Amtrak, local, and regional railroads operated the remaining track, approximately 44,000 miles. Class I railroads owned and operated over 24,000 locomotives and more than 380,700 freight railcars [USDOT BTS NTS 2013b].

Over the past 50 years, Class I railroads and connecting facilities have developed increasingly efficient ways to carry and transfer cargo (e.g., double-stack container railcars and on-dock rail), allowing more cargo to be carried with fewer railcars. Figure 1-3 shows that the system mileage of Class I railroads in 2011 was less than one-half the mileage in 1960. However, freight rail tonmiles nearly tripled to 1.7 trillion during the same period (despite a decline during the last recession).

The National Rail Passenger Corp. (Amtrak) is the primary operator of intercity passenger rail service in the United States. Amtrak transported 31.6 million passengers in fiscal year 2013, up from 20.9 million in 2000 [AMTRAK 2013a]. Amtrak has set ridership records in 10 of the last 11 years. The Northeast Corridor (NEC), from Washington, DC, to Boston, MA, accounted for well over one-third of all riders. Figure 1-4a shows the top 25 stations by ridership across the country, and figure 1-4b shows the stations by ridership in the NEC. Ridership was also high around Chicago as well as at several locations in California and the Pacific Northwest.

Amtrak operated 21,300 route miles in 2012 and more than 500 stations that served 46 states and Washington, DC [AMTRAK 2013b]. Amtrak, as part of a 30-year Amtrak Fleet Strategy, plans to renew its entire fleet of passenger rail cars and locomotives by 2042 [AMTRAK 2012]. Amtrak's fleet of rail cars and locomotives decreased by 11.2 and 10.3 percent, respectively, from fiscal years 2012 to 2013, but the railroad is expected to take delivery of 130 new long-distance singlelevel railcars and 70 electric locomotives and has issued a request for proposal for its Next Generation High Speed Trainsets [AMTRAK 2014].

Ports and Waterways

More than 8,200 U.S. water transportation facilities, including cargo handling docks, handled 2.3 billion short tons of goods in 2012. Of these facilities, 2,000 handled both foreign and domestic cargo, less than 80 handled foreign cargo only, and nearly 6,200 handled domestic cargo only. About 69 percent of cargo-handling facilities are located on the coasts; gulf coast facilities accounted for 26.1 percent of the total, followed by the Atlantic coast (21.8 percent) and the Pacific coast (20.6 percent). The remaining 31.4 percent of cargo-handling facilities are situated along the Great Lakes or inland waterways [USACE IWR NDC 2013]. These facilities are served by a fleet of 40,500 domestic vessels—31,500 barges and 9,000 self-propelled vessels, including almost 3,000 push boats used to move the barges [USACE IWR NDC 2012].

Los Angeles, CA, was the top port in terms of 2012 container traffic, handling 5.7 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU); followed by Long Beach, CA (4.7 million TEU); New York, NY and NJ (4.4 million TEU); Savannah, GA (2.3 million TEU); and Norfolk, VA (1.7 million TEU) [USACE IWR NDC 2014]. Many of these coastal seaports are served by post-Panamax vessels⁶ that continue to increase in size. Containerships had an average capacity of 3,969 TEU in 2011, up 13.3 percent from 3,503 TEU in 2006. The average deadweight tonnage of cargo vessels calling at U.S. ports was 53,832 in 2011, up 6.3 percent from 50,653 in 2006 [USDOT MARAD 2013b]. Today's largest containerships can carry upwards of 18,000 TEU [ABS 2011].

Larger vessels afford greater economies of scale and costs savings. However, they require investments in U.S. ports such as increasing bridge clearances, channel depths, landside access, and port and terminal infrastructure [USACE IWR 2012]. Carriers are shifting trade routes, ports are investing in infrastructure, and shippers are adjusting their supply chains in anticipation of these larger vessels and the expanded Panama Canal [USDOT MARAD 2013c]. U.S.-flag vessels accounted for 10.8 percent of 2012 calls at U.S. ports, down from 11.7 percent 5 years earlier [USDOT MARAD 2013a].

U.S. ferries carried an estimated 103 million passengers and just over 37 million vehicles in 2009 [USDOT BTS 2014]. Figure 1-5 shows the average number of passengers and vehicles by state. In 2009, 218 ferry operators worked in 37 states, 10 in U.S. territories and 3 between U.S. and non-U.S. locations (e.g., Canada). The U.S. ferry fleet was composed of 652 vessels, 622 of which were in active service. California had the most ferry vessels with 62, followed by New York (56), Massachusetts (52), and Washington State (46). Nearly all of the vessels carried passengers (93.4 percent), while less than half (43.6 percent) carried vehicles, and less than a quarter carried freight (22.2 percent).

Pipelines

Natural gas was transported via about 320,000 miles of natural gas transmission pipeline and over 2.1 trillion miles of natural gas distribution main and service pipelines (box 1-A). Pipelines moved 65 percent of U.S. energy supplies in 2012 [USDOT PHMSA 2013a]. Natural gas pipelines delivered 23.4 trillion cubic feet of gas to consumers [USDOE EIA 2014a]. Over 185,600 miles of crude/refined oil and hazardous liquid pipelines [USDOT PHMSA 2013b] carried 109 million of barrels across the United States [USDOE EIA 2014b]. These pipelines connect to 65 million households, 5 million commercial businesses, and to the 1,900 electrical generating units that supply approximately 25 percent of U.S. electricity [AGA 2013].

Passenger Access and Connectivity

Public transportation passengers often need to connect to another mode of transportation to reach their destinations. According to the 2009 National Household Travel Survey, 99 percent of all transit trips used at least two modes of transportation. Intermodal links between transportation modes (e.g., transit, intercity bus, or train station access at airports) give travelers more mobility options. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics' (BTS') Intermodal Passenger Connectivity Database inventories the connectivity of passenger transportation facilities (e.g., air, long-distance bus and ferry, and intercity rail service) and certain transit facilities (e.g., local ferry, heavy rail, light rail, and commuter rail). The intermodal database includes over 7,200 intercity passenger travel facilities (figure 1-6), of which 54.9 percent do not offer connections to other transportation modes, 43.5 percent connect to one other mode, and 1.5 percent connect to two other modes of transportation (e.g., bus, air, rail, or ferry) [USDOT BTS 2013a].

Eighty-three percent of the heavy rail-stations offered connections to other modes and are the most connected of all travel options, followed by light-rail transit (with 66.5 percent), and Amtrak/intercity and commuter rail (with 64.2 percent). About a quarter (24.0 percent) of airports connect with other transportation modes. Only 12.3 percent of intercity bus facilities have connections to other modes [USDOT BTS 2013a].

Transportation Services Index

Figure 1-7 shows the volume of for-hire passenger and freight services provided by airlines, railroads, trucking companies, transit agencies, inland waterway operators, and pipeline companies for each month between January 1990 and December 2013 as compiled by BTS' Transportation Service Index (TSI).⁷ Despite several temporary declines since 2000, for-hire transportation services have regained momentum over time. In December 2013 the volume of freight transportation services was 77.2 percent higher than in January 1990 and up 10.7 percent from January 2000. The volume of passenger services as of December 2013 was 68.2 percent higher than in January 1990 and 25.2 percent greater than in January 2000. The TSI has rebounded from the economic recession, which began in December 2007 and continued through June 2009 [NBER 2013], when both indexes hit lows—94.8 for freight in April 2009 and 108.4 for passenger in March 2009.

References

American Association of School Administrators (AASA). Weathering the Storm: How the Economic Recession Continues to Impact School Districts (March 2012). Available at https://www.aasa.org/ as of August 2013.

American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). Mærsk Mc- Kinney Møller. Public Records. Available at http:// www.eagle.org/ as of November 2013.

American Bus Association (ABA) Foundation. Motorcoach Census 2013 (March 2014). Available at http://www.buses.org/ as of March 2014.

American Gas Association (AGA). Facts About Natural Gas (2013). Available at http://www.aga. org/ as of November 2013.

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). U.S. Business Cycle Expansions and Contractions. Available at http://www.nber.org/ as of July 2013.

National Railroad Passenger Corporation (AMTRAK):

—2014. National Fact Sheet: FY 2013. Available at http://www.amtrak.com/ as of July 2014.

—2013a. Amtrak System Statistics & Achievements: 2012. Available at http://www.amtrak.com/ as of September 2013.

—2013b. Amtrak Sets Ridership Record and Moves that Nation's Economy Forward (Version 3.1, March 29, 2012). Available at http://www.amtrak. com/ as of December 2013.

—2012. Amtrak Fleet Strategy Available at http:// www.amtrak.com/ as of July 2014.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Institute for Water Resources (IWR). Navigation Data Center (NDC):

—2014. U.S. Waterborne Container Traffic by Port/Waterway in 2012 (January 2014). Available at http://www.navigationdatacenter.us/ as of July 2014.

—2013. The U.S. Waterway System. Transportation Facts and Information (November 2013). Available at http://www.navigationdatacenter.us/ as of July 2014.

—2012. Waterborne Transportation Lines of the United States. Available at http://www.navigationdatacenter.us/ as of September 2013.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Institute for Water Resources (IWR). U.S. Port and Inland Waterways Modernization Preparing for Post- Panamax Vessels (June 2012). Available at http:// www.iwr.usace.army.mil/ as of September 2013.

U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (USCIA). The World Factbook: United States. Available at https:// www.cia.gov/ as of December 2013.

U.S. Department of Commerce (USDOC). Census Bureau (CENSUS):

—2013. 2012 National Population Projections (May 2013) . Table 1. Projections of the Population and Components of Change for the United States: 2015 to 2060. Available at http://www.census.gov/ population/projections/ as of August 2014.

—2014. American Fact Finder. Available at http:// factfinder2.census.gov/ as of July 2014.

U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE). Energy Information Administration (EIA):

—2013a. Public Retail Gasoline Stations by State and Year. Available at http://www.afdc.energy.gov/ as of August 2013.

—2013b. Alternative Fuel Vehicles in Use 2011. Available at http://www.eia.gov/ as of September 2013.

—2014a. Natural Gas Consumption by End Use. Available at http://www.eia.gov/ as of July 2014.

—2014b. Crude Oil and Petroleum Products Movements by Pipeline. Available at http://www. eia.gov/ as of July 2014.

U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Transportation Energy Data Book. 32nd Edition. Available at http://cta.ornl.gov/data/index.shtml as of August 2014.

U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS):

—2014. Office of Airline Information (OAI). Airlines and Airports. Available at http://www.bts. gov/ as of August 2014.

—2013a. Intermodal Passenger Connectivity Database (as of August 2013). Available at http:// www.bts.gov/ as of September 2013.

—2013b. National Transportation Statistics. Available at http://www.bts.gov/ as of October 2013.

—2014. National Census of Ferry Operators (NCFO). Available at http://www.bts.gov/ as of June 2014.

U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). 2012. National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS), 2013-2017. Available at http://www.faa. gov/ as of December 2013.

U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). Federal Highway Administration (FHWA):

—2012. 2011 Highway Statistics. Available at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ as of December 2013.

—2013a. 2012 Highway Statistics. Available at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ as of December 2013.

—2013b. Bridges & Structures. Available at http:// www.fhwa.dot.gov/ as of November 2013.

U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). Federal Transit Administration (FTA). National Transit Database (NTD). 2012 Data Tables. Available at http://www.ntdprogram.gov/ as of August 14, 2014.

U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). Maritime Administration (MARAD):

—2013a. U.S. Water Transportation Statistical Snapshot 2011. Available at http://www.marad.dot. gov/ as of September 2013.

—2013b. Vessel Calls Snapshot (11/06/2013). Available at http://www.marad.dot.gov/ as of December 2013.

—2013c. Panama Canal Expansion Study. Phase I Report. Available at http://www.marad.dot.gov/ as of November 2013.

U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). Pipeline Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA):

—2013a. General Pipeline FAQs Available at http://www.phmsa.dot.gov/ as of September 2013.

—2013b. Accident Incident and Mileage Summary Statistics Available at http://www.phmsa.dot.gov/ as of September 2013.

U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). Surface Transportation Board (STB). Reporting Requirements for Positive Train Control Expenses and Investments (August 20, 2013). Final Rule. Available at http://www.gpo.gov/ as of September 2013.

¹ In 1991 the Federal Surface Transportation Board designated Class I railroads as those carriers generating $250 million or more in annual revenue, with yearly adjustments for inflation. In 2012 the preliminary revenue threshold for Class I rail carriers was set at $452.7 million. Today there are seven Class I carriers [USDOT STB 2013].

² Subtracted out from the reported totals are the amount of depreciation of aging equipment and structures and the value of assets taken out of service.

³ Alaska, the largest state by land area, has relatively few miles of roads, which reflects the lightly populated and relatively undeveloped character of the large landmass that lies outside of the Anchorage to Fairbanks corridor.

⁴ For additional information, please see the BTS Special Report on Motorcycle Trends in the United States.

⁵ Includes BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, Grand Trunk Corp., Kansas City Southern, Norfolk Southern, Canadian Pacific operations in the United States, and Union Pacific.

⁶ Vessels exceeding the length and width of the lock chambers in the Panama Canal.

⁷ The index does not include all for-hire transportation as intercity bus service, taxi, and sightseeing services are not covered.