There are 4.09 million miles of roads in the United States. About 72 percent of these roadways are in rural areas. Yet according to a report submitted by the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) to Congress in 2019, the nation’s rural roads, highways and bridges face a $211 billion backlog in needed repairs and improvements. Why is this a problem?
For starters, rural road quality directly affects a lot of people. Rural areas, loosely defined as regions outside of urban areas with a population of 2,500 or more, account for 97% of land area in the U.S., and 19% of the nation’s population lives in rural areas.
One issue at hand is road safety. Even though populations in rural areas are less dense, the fatality rate is twice as high in rural areas than urban areas. According to TRIP, the higher fatality rate from vehicle accidents is due to longer emergency response times, higher travel speeds compared to urban roads, and poor or inconsistent roadway design and maintenance. Since rural roads aren’t constructed, maintained, or refurbished as often as urban roads, there can be dangerous inconsistencies between multiple lane-miles in one trip. Things like shoulder clearance, lane width, and surface treatment can all vary, leading drivers into unexpected driving conditions in the blink of an eye.
Well-maintained rural roads are also important in supporting the vitality of local communities. A study by the USDA showed that rural quality of life is affected by factors such as regional integration (the ability to interact and collaborate with nearby regions) and accessibility to public gathering places, work, schools, and recreational activities. Reliable transportation routes are also imperative for rural economies. In contrast to urban economies, America’s rural economy is more dependent on goods production and service-oriented jobs, which are often jobs that can’t be done from home. Good roads allow people to get to and from work, freight vehicles to transport goods, and encourage more people to live and work in the area.
While maintaining rural roads is important for the well-being and prosperity of local residents, upholding rural road quality is also important for the entire US economy.
First, rural roads provide access to countless travel destinations across the U.S. A good portion of the American tourism industry relies on rural road networks to access places like national parks, roadside attractions, and theme parks located outside of nearby cities. In fact, 44% of personal transportation on rural roads is by urban residents traveling outside their home metro region.
But even if you never leave your urban bubble, rural road quality still greatly impacts everyday life. A report from the United States Department of Agriculture found that “an effective transportation system supports rural economies, reducing the prices farmers pay for inputs such as seeds and fertilizers, raising the value of their crops and greatly increasing market access.” Rural roads also allow for farming in locations further from the markets where product is bought and sold, meaning farms can take advantage of favorable soil and climate in more remote locations while still being able to transport goods back and forth. All of these factors ultimately means that better roads lead to cheaper food prices for consumers around the nation. The same goes for other industries that require freight transportation to and from rural areas. A report by the HAC, a nonprofit focused on supporting communities in rural America, found that several industries are more heavily represented in rural areas than in other parts of the U.S., including construction, manufacturing, and public administration. These industries often cater to many Americans beyond their regional limits. According to a study published this month by TRIP, “rural transportation accessibility and connectivity are critical to transportation-dependent business sectors, including the growing energy production and extraction sectors, advanced manufacturing, and tourism. Many jobs located in urban areas also depend on economic input from rural communities.”
In referencing this study, Dennis Slater, president of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, added that “infrastructure investment must go beyond our nation’s major cities, and be made in America’s rural communities where our food, fiber, and fuel is produced and much of our equipment is manufactured. Manufacturers depend on the roads, bridges, and highways in rural America to supply the equipment our economy relies on and that infrastructure is in desperate need of repair and modernization.” Overall, rural road quality both directly and indirectly affects the entire nation. Funding for large-scale improvements to America’s roadway system are definitely needed, but small city government’s efforts to maintain and repair rural roads are undoubtedly helpful. Since funding for rural roads isn’t often covered by government subsidies, making smart decisions in pavement preservation is imperative, because building better roads, and working hard to maintain existing road infrastructure, shows a commitment to growth and success on both a regional and national level.