advertisement

---

Federal, state and local governments need to invest tens of billions of dollars per year in highways and transit systems just to maintain those networks, according to report issued last week by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The report, “2010 Status of the Nation’s Highways, Bridges and Transit: Conditions and Performance,” refers to a sizable gap between current and projected spending levels for highways and transit systems.

For example, the biennial report states that between $20.8 billion and $24.5 billion needs to be invested annually over the next 20 years to attain a state of good repair for the nation’s transit systems and accommodate anticipated ridership growth. In 2008, all levels of government spent only $16.1 billion on transit capital improvements, according to the report.