TRIP releases data for Maryland, Louisiana, West Virginia, Oklahoma
The transportation research nonprofit TRIP continues to monitor transportation trends at the state level, having released four reports since March.
TRIP published its data on Maryland, Louisiana, West Virginia, and Oklahoma this year as part of its series of state reports.
Maryland Transportation by the Numbers examines the condition, use and safety of Maryland’s roads, highways and bridges, as well as the state’s future mobility needs. The report found that 49 percent of major locally and state-maintained roads and highways in Maryland were in poor or mediocre condition and estimated that rough roads cost the average Maryland driver $843 in additional vehicle operating costs every year for a total of $3.7 billion statewide.
Maryland Asphalt Association President Tim Smith said while recent trends have led the state to prioritize more transit projects, he hopes the TRIP data helps to prevent future road projects from being overlooked.
The Oklahoma by the Numbers report, Providing a Modern, Efficient Transportatin Network in the Sooner State, suggests “a lack of adequate investment in transportation and increasing inflation in construction costs could hamper Oklahoma ’s ability to make needed improvements to its transportation network.”
Keeping Louisiana Mobile looks at the challenges the state faces to accommodate future transportation growth, maintain the existing system, and sustain adequate state transportation investment despite the funding impacts of highway construction cost inflation, increasing fuel efficiency standards, and the adoption of electric vehicles.
Keeping West Virginia Moving Forward suggests that while additional state and federal transportation investments are enabling West Virginia to make needed improvements to its transportation system, the state’s ability to keep pace with growing transportation needs is threatened by a significant increase in inflation of highway construction costs and the reduced purchasing power of motor fuel tax revenues, due to improved vehicle fuel efficiency, and the adoption of hybrid and electric vehicles.
