Congress has decided not to spend another nickel on building new roads, thus ending the nation's highway construction boom.
Instead, the gasoline tax money being collected in the Highway Trust Fund will be spent on helping states improve and maintain some 160,000 miles of the nation's primary roads already in existence.This network - dubbed the National Highway System - is made up of 45,530 miles of the Interstate system, 4,500 miles of congressionally-designated corridors, 17,600 miles chosen by the Defense Department, and 91,000 miles selected by the states.
The NHS serves large population centers, 53 international border crossings, 104 marine ports, 143 airports, 321 Amtrak stations, 191 rail-truck terminals, and 242 military and defense-related installations.
While comprising only 4.1 percent of the nation's total highway mileage, the NHS carries 40 percent of all highway traffic, 75 percent of heavy truck traffic, and 90 percent of all tourist travel.
Currently, only 60 percent of U.S. households and 70 percent of U.S. businesses are within five miles of an interstate highway. However, 90 percent of all households and 95 percent of all businesses are close to an NHS route.
Some 98 percent of the NHS roads are already in existence. The remaining roads still to be built are mostly beltways diverting traffic around cities for which funding has already been provided.