The U.S. faces a $1 trillion backlog of roads and bridges needing repair, according to FHWA. Yet we still spend roughly $27 billion per year (25% of the total) expanding and building new highways. Mounting evidence shows that shifting those dollars toward maintenance and rehabilitation could yield greater benefits.
Research
Despite efficiency gains, rising travel demand pushes emissions higher
Advances in technology have made transportation more energy efficient in recent decades, lowering emissions per mile and per unit of freight. But according to a new study, those efficiency gains haven’t been enough to offset the rise in emissions from new transportation demand. To hold transportation emissions steady going forward, the study says, global transportation demand must not continue rising, or we must make a more dramatic shift toward electrification than currently imagined.
More transit means safer streets
To reduce traffic deaths, public transit should be seen as a core part of safety infrastructure, not just an alternative mode of travel. Every day, thousands of car crashes occur in the U.S., resulting in injury or death, yet they receive far less attention than the much rarer crashes involving public transit. For city planners working to reduce roadway fatalities, understanding how these perceptions influence travel choices is critical.
Driving trips are dropping, especially among young people
For years, people wondered whether travel would bounce back after the pandemic. The latest FHWA data, along with other new research, gives a clearer answer. Growth has slowed. In 2024, total vehicle miles traveled (VMT) finally inched past its 2019 peak, but by only 0.5%. On a per capita basis, Americans are still driving less, down 2.3% since 2019.
Emotional perceptions can be a tool for predicting street safety
How a street feels can matter just as much as how it’s physically built. A new study shows that emotional perceptions about whether a street seems inviting, secure, or rundown can help explain safety for people walking or biking—a reminder that planners should think beyond conventional design standards. Road designers should also consider the character and aesthetics of the spaces they create.
Complex urban streets encourage safer driving
Reducing excessive speeding is one of the most effective ways to improve road safety—especially where people are walking or biking. While lowering speed limits and adding traffic calming measures help, growing research highlights the value of self-explaining streets that give drivers constant cues to slow down.
Pedestrian deaths aren’t accidents, they’re policy failures
Pedestrian deaths are rising faster in the U.S. than in any other high-income country. A decade-long surge, up 50%, has made the U.S. the most dangerous place to walk among 27 peer nations. Many experts view these deaths not as random accidents but as preventable tragedies that reflect deeper policy failures in transportation, infrastructure, and public safety.
Cutting transit wait times is key for winning back ridehail users
Nearly all trips taken in some cities by ridehail services, such as Uber or Lyft, could be taken by transit, according to new research. That means the excess traffic those trips create could be prevented, with the right incentives. To encourage people to opt for transit instead of ridehail, transit agencies can pursue strategies to shorten walk and wait times associated with transit.
Too much driving is bad for society, new studies show
It turns out trying to expand the freedom of the open road has its limits—when taken too far, it can end up driving people apart.
New transit stations don’t have to mean gentrification or displacement
Major transit investments like new light rail lines or stations can transform neighborhoods and cities — in certain respects, that’s the point. The new infrastructure can make a city more vibrant and accessible to all, while encouraging the development of more walkable neighborhoods that make it easier to get around without a car, reduce emissions, and improve safety. But planners can take steps to ensure those benefits are shared among everyone, not just younger professionals or affluent newcomers.