Roads accessible to the public are generally owned and maintained by the federal, state or local governments, though there are some private highways. The overwhelming majority of roads are maintained
by state and local governments; the federal government directly maintains only roads on federal lands and at federal facilities (like military bases). However, many state highways, including those designated as part of the Interstate Highway System, are federal-aid highways funded by the federal government, which raises funding through its ability to impose uniform fuel and income taxes across the nation, and then exercises its powers under the federal Constitution's Spending and Commerce Clauses to disburse funds back to the states for the construction and maintenance of a uniform nationwide highway system.There are both public and private owners of the country's many passenger and freight rail systems, bus systems, water ferries, and dams. Civilian airlines are all privately owned and financed. Many airports are owned and operated by local governments, but there are also smaller private airports. The Transportation Security Administration has provided security at most major airports since 2001.
The United States Department of Transportation and its divisions provide regulation, supervision, and funding for all aspects of transportation, except for customs, immigration, and security, which are the responsibility of the United States Department of Homeland Security. Each state has its own Department of Transportation, which builds and maintains state highways, and depending upon the state, may either directly operate other modes of transportation or may merely supervise the operation of such systems.
Aviation law is almost entirely a federal matter, while automobile traffic laws are enforced by state and local police. Economic jurisdiction over the tidelands is shared between the state and federal governments, while the United States Coast Guard is the primary enforcer of maritime law and security.
In comparison to most of the Western world, the United States relies much more heavily on its roads both for commercial and personal transit. Car ownership is nearly universal except in few of the largest cities where extensive mass transit systems have been built.
With the cre
ation of the Eisenhower Interstate Highway System in the 1950s, both long-distance trips and daily commutes became dominated by private automobile usage. This network of freeways meets federal standards and receives substantial federal funding and is particularly well-developed. The entire system, as of 2004, has a total length of 46,837 miles (75,376 km), making it both the largest expressway system in the world and the largest public works project in US history.The Interstate system is a part of a larger National Highway System, comprising 160,000 miles (256,000 kilometers) of roadway, a fraction of the total mileage of roads. The system serves nearly all major US cities. Many Interstates pass, sometimes with controversy, through downtown areas. The distribution of virtually all goods and services involves Interstate highways at some point. Residents of American cities commonly use urban Interstates to travel to their places of work. The vast majority of long-distance travel, whether for vacation or business, uses the national road network;of these trips, about one-third (by the total number of miles driven in the country in 2003) utilize the Interstate system.
In addition to the routes of the Interstate system, there are those of the US Highway system, not to be confused with the above mentioned National Highway System. These networks are further supplemented by the individual networks of State Highways, and other jurisdictional highways such as those of counties, municipal streets, or federal agencies like the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Altogether there are more than 4,209,835 km of paved roads in the U.S. (including 75,040 km of expressways), and 2,255,964 km of unpaved roads.
All highways are maintained by state governments, although they receive federal aid to build and maintain freeways signed as part of the 46,000 mile (75,000 km) nationwide Interstate highway network. A large number of expressways are actually government-operated toll roads in most East Coast and Midwest states. West Coast freeways are generally free to users (no toll charged per use), although since the 1990s there have been some small experiments with toll roads operated by private companies.
After the collapse of the I-35W Mississippi River bridge in Minnesota in August 2007, the backlog of road and especially bridge maintenance across the country became a prominent political issue.
Intercity bus
Greyhound Lines is the largest intercity bus company in the United States, with routes in all parts of the continental U.S.. There are also many smaller regional bus companies, many of which use the terminal and booking facilities provided by Greyhound. The bus is, in most cases, the least expensive way to travel long distances in the United States.
The United States has advanced air transportation infrastructure which utilizes approximately 5,000 paved runways. In terms of passengers, seventeen of the world's thirty busiest airports in 2004 were in the U.S., including the world's busiest, Harts-field-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. In terms of cargo, in the same year, twelve of the world's thirty busiest airports were in the U.S., including the world's busiest, Memphis International Airport. Private aircraft are also used for medical emergencies, government agencies, large businesses, and individuals, see general aviation).
Due to the size of the United States and the generally large distance between major cities, air transportation is the preferred method of travel for trips over 300 miles, such as for business travelers and long distance vacation travelers. For cities closer together, such as Boston and New York City, New York and Washington D.C., and Philadelphia and D.C., air travel does not carry a majority of intercity traffic.
Most roads are free to drive on in a privately purchased or rented automobile or in a hired taxicab, but there are also some toll roads and toll bridges. Most other forms of transportation charge a fee for use.
Government funding of transportation exists at many levels. Federal funding for highway, rail, bus, water, air, and other forms of transportation is allocated by Congress for several years at a time. The current authorization bill is the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), which runs from 2005 to 2009. A Congressionally chartered committee is considering future funding issues.
Though earmarks are often made for specific projects, the allocation of most federal dollars is controlled by Metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and state governments. Usually "matching" funds are required from local sources. All projects have a sponsoring agency that will receive the funding from the various federal and local sources, and be responsible for implementing the project directly or through contracts. Large projects require a Major Investment Study and a both a Draft and a Final Environmental Impact Review. A patchwork of federal laws and accounts govern the allocation of federal transportation dollars, most of which is reserved for capital projects, not operating expenses. Some roads are federally designated as part of the National Highway System and get preferential funding as a result, but outside of Washington D.C., are not owned by the federal government.
State governments are sovereign entities which use their powers of taxation both to match federal grants, and provide for local transportation needs. Different states have different systems for dividing responsibility for funding and maintaining road and transit networks between the state department of transportation, counties, municipalities, and other entities. Typically large cities are responsible for local roads, finances with block grants and local property taxes, and the state is responsible for major roads that receive state and federally designations. Many mass transit agencies are quasi-independent and subsidized branches of a state, county, or city government.
Economic impact
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT): "Transportation’s vital importance to the U.S. economy is underscored by the fact that more than $1 out of every $10 produced in the U.S. gross domestic product is related to transportation activity. This includes all aspects of transportation, including the movement of goods and the purchase of all transportation-related products and services as well as the movement of people." Employment in the transportation and material moving industry accounted for 7.4% of all employment, and was the 5th largest employment group in the United States.
Environmental impacts
Two-thirds of U.S. oil consumption is due to the transportation sector. The “Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007” has a significant impact on U.S. Energy Policy.The US — an important export country for food stocks — will convert 18% of its grain output to ethanol in 2008. Across the US, 25% of the whole corn crop went to ethanol in 2007. The percentage of corn going to biofuel is expected to go up. In 2006, U.S. Senators introduced the BioFuels Security Act.
Scope of the American Transportation System
America's transportation network is an important tie binding our economy together. Our strong and efficient transportation system provides businesses with access to materials and markets, and provides people with access to goods, services, recreation, jobs, and other people.
Transportation contributes 11 percent of the Nation's gross domestic product, amounting to approximately $950 billion.
The U.S. transportation system carries over 4.7 trillion passenger miles of travel and 3.7 trillion ton miles of domestic freight generated by about 270 million people, 6.7 million business establishments, and 88,000 units of government. Rail and maritime transportation each account for over 11 percent of the tonnage carried.
American Modes of Travel
The U.S. transportation system includes the various modes of travel: highways, transit, rail, air, and water. Following are brief descriptions of each.
Highway System
The United States highway network consists of 4 million miles of roads and streets. Traffic congestionHighway bridges also make up a critical link in the Nation's infrastructure. At present,there are about 600,000 bridges on the entire highway network. State and local governments control most roads and bridges in the United States, but all highways serve as part of an integrated national network.
The Interstate Highway System accounts for only 1 percent of all highway mileage but carries 25 percent of the total vehicle miles of travel. With the completion of the Interstate System in the 1980s, the focus shifted toward maintaining and improving the system, improving traffic flow, and upgrading connections with other modes of transportation.
Transit (Public Transportation)
The U.S. transit system includes a variety of multiple-occupancy vehicle services designed to transport Transit Mapcustomers on local and regional routes. These services are operated by more than 5,000 public transportation systems throughout the United States and include rail, road, and water modes. Currently, the public transportation fleet comprises 129,000 vehicles in active service, of which 58 percent are buses, 26 percent are demand-responsive vehicles, 8 percent are heavy rail cars, 4 percent are commuter rail cars, 1 percent are light rail cars, and 3 percent are all other transportation modes. In 1998, Americans made 8.7 billion passenger trips on public transportation, with 61 percent of the trips on buses, 27 percent on heavy rail, and 8 percent on commuter and light rail.
Passenger Railroads
Train wheel on a track .The advent of relatively inexpensive air travel in long-distance markets and the widespread availability of the private automobile for shorter trips generated new travel patterns and drew passengers away from railroad travel. Following nearly a century and a half of intercity passenger operations by private freight railroads, the Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970 established The National Railroad Passenger Corporation (popularly known as Amtrak). Since its founding, Amtrak rebuilt rail equipment and benefited from significant public investment in track and stations, particularly in the Northeast Corridor.
Aviation
Airplane Air travel is the fastest growing mode of transportation, becoming ever more popular and frequent. The growing pervasiveness of air travel can be seen by the increasing numbers of people who have flown on a commercial jet: less than 50 percent in 1975 compared with more than 80 percent today.
Maritime Shipping
Maritime shipping has generally been intermodal; other forms of transportation are needed to haul cargo to and from ports. The U.S. maritime transportation system consists of waterways, ports and their connections to other transportation modes, vessels, vehicles, and system users.
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