Illinois - Roads
Severe traffic congestion costs Illinois's economy tens of billions of dollars in lost productivity each year. Congestion is estimated to cost $4 billion for the Chicago area alone. 16% of Illinois roads are in poor to mediocre condition and cost the state $2.2 billion annually. The economic loss related to traffic crashes in Illinois cost $10 billion annually.
Background
The roads grade was determind using:
- Pavement Condition
- Need versus Capacity
- Funding
Each of the criterions was assigned equal weight to compute the overall grade.
Pavement Condition
Illinois roads are rated to be in better condition than the national average by a slight margin. Compared to larger populous city areas in the country, Chicago roads are generally in fair condition.
Need versus Capacity
Illinois ranks among the top five states in terms of the longest commuting times in the country. Illinois’s interstate system carries 29 percent of all vehicle travel in the state. Between 1990 and 2004, vehicle travel on Illinois’s interstates increased 51 percent, while lane miles on the system increased 11 percent. Vehicle travel on Illinois’s highways increased 29 percent between 1990 and 2007. Capacity improvements are not keeping pace with growth in travel demand.
Illinois is ranked fourth highest in the nation for tonnage moved by trucks. The costs associated with congestion delays account for $9.2 billion worth of freight loss. Congested interchanges have a major impact on the flow of freight. In fact two of the nation’s top five most highly congested interchanges are located in Chicago where I-90/94 meets I-290 and where I-90 and I-94 meet.
The Chicago area ranks poorly in terms of congestion levels in the category of very large urban areas and accounts for 189 million hours of delay, as compared to an average of 167 million hours for similar very large urban areas, with a total loss of $4.2 billion per year.
In 2006, Illinois’s fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) is lower than the national average. The economic loss due to traffic crashes in Illinois is estimated at $10.7 billion annually.
Funding
The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the Illinois Tollway are the principal agencies that fund roadway improvements in the state. IDOT has budgeted for a $10.875-billion capital improvement program between 2009 and 2014 and the Illinois Tollway has budgeted $6.3 billion for its capital improvement program between 2005 and 2016. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has awarded a total of $1.3 billion for statewide road and bridge projects, of which $392 million were disbursed by mid-December 2009. Approximately $14.3 billion is budgeted for works on roads and bridges in the Capital bill.
Conditions Rating and Rankings
According to Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Illinois has nearly 139,000 miles of roads - the fourth most in the nation - and represents nearly 3.5 percent of all roadway miles in the U.S. Illinois currently has 2.5 roadway miles to every square mile of land. Other states with greater road miles than Illinois do not have a higher density of roadway miles to square miles of land. This includes states such as Texas and California; Illinois’s roadway density is more than double the roadway densities in those states.
| Table 1 - Public Road Length, Miles by Ownership: 2006 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Highway Agency | County | Town, township, municipal | Other jurisdiction1 | Federal agency2 | Total | |
| United States | 779,074 | 1,791,122 | 1,252,346 | 65,843 | 128,349 | 4,016,734 |
| % of Total | 19.40% | 44.59% | 31.18% | 1.64% | 3.20% | 100.00% |
| Illinois | 16,083 | 16,382 | 105,590 | 687 | 254 | 138,996 |
| % of Total | 11.57% | 11.79% | 75.97% | 0.49% | 0.18% | 3.46% |
In order to measure the condition of highways and roadways, states are required to report the International Roughness Index (IRI) for the interstate system, other principal arterials, rural minor arterials and the National Highway System to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). This method of measuring the condition of highways and roadways is calculated by dividing the amount of a standard vehicle’s accumulated suspension motion while traveling on a highway or roadway by the total distance traveled during the measurement. The IRI method of rating highways and roadways is recommended by FHWA because it is a standardized and objective measurement. Currently, FHWA does not require all roadways to use this methodology. Roadways that are exempt from measuring the IRI are major and minor collectors and local roads and streets.
The other rating index used, Present Serviceability Rating (PSR), was developed by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). This rating is based on individual observation and rates the road on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 as a “very good” rating. The PSR and IRI are both used to rate highway and roadway conditions across the country.
The data presented in Table 2 provides Illinois’s road condition ratings as compared to the nationwide using both the IRI and the PSR. Pavement rating data for collectors (urban and rural) or local roads (urban and rural) were not included in this data.
Illinois roadways have an average rating of 3.485 on a scale of 1 to 5, compared to a national average of 3.313. A rating of 3 is considered to be fair. The ratings only look at the number of roads and not the total roadway miles. From the above statistics, Illinois’s roadways system is ranked as the 15th best roadway network in the country.
| Table 2 - Road Condition | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in miles) | |||||||
| Very Good (5) | Good (4) | Fair (3) | Mediocre (2) | Poor (1) | Not Reported | Overall Average | |
| United States | 131,956 | 256,835 | 384,622 | 95,023 | 66,345 | 2,944 | 3.313 |
| % of Total | 14.12% | 27.48% | 41.15% | 10.17% | 7.10% | 0.31% | |
| Illinois | 8,440 | 7,595 | 12,635 | 4,008 | 1,855 | 1 | 3.485 |
| % of Total | 24.44% | 21.99% | 36.59% | 11.61% | 5.37% | 0.00% | |
Illinois Tollway is an integral part of the state’s roadway infrastructure. Illinois Tollway, with approximately 1,800 lane miles and 286 miles long, is operated with toll revenue and is not eligible for federal and state funds. With nearly 30% of the Tollway pavement having a life expectancy of less than 5 years, the Tollway’s future annual and Congestion Relief Programs (CRP) are focusing on repairing and/or replacing the aging infrastructure.
The current CRP will replace or repair 95 percent of the entire system by 2015. The Illinois Tollway network average pavement surface age is 8.1 years, while the original pavement age is 21 years, which includes the age of the concrete pavement and base. It is important that CRP continues to be implemented by the Illinois Tollway.
In comparing the pavement conditions in Illinois urban areas to other cities nationally with populations of 500,000 or greater, Chicago ranks 26 out of 68 in terms of road conditions with only 42 percent of Chicago-area roads in poor or mediocre condition. Atlanta ranks first with five percent and Los Angeles ranks last with 91percent of its roads in poor or mediocre condition.
Driving on roads in rough condition increases consumer costs by accelerating vehicle deterioration, increasing the frequency of necessary maintenance and increasing fuel consumption and tire wear. Rough roads can also increase the crashes on the roadways due to its poor condition. In urban areas with populations of 500,000 or greater, the Chicago area ranks 24th out of 68 in additional vehicle operating costs at $332 per year. Los Angeles is ranked 68th with $778 per year and Atlanta is ranked first with $47 per year.
Commuting
Illinois has 2,169 miles of interstate routes running the length of the state and connecting the state’s major urban areas. Illinois’s interstate system includes three percent of all roadway lane miles in the state and carries 29 percent of all vehicle travel in the state.
Between 1990 and 2004, vehicle travel on Illinois’s interstates increased 51 percent, while lane miles on the system increased just 11 percent.
In 2006, Illinois’s mean travel time to work of 27.9 minutes ranked the state fifth highest nationally and above the national average of 25 minutes. Furthermore, in 2007 commuters in the Chicago metropolitan area experienced an average annual delay of 41 hours per traveler, making it the 13th most delayed metropolitan area in very large urban areas. Similarly, the St. Louis metropolitan area has an average delay of 26 hours per commuter.
In the category of very large urban areas with populations of more than 3 million people, a 2007 study conducted by Texas Transportation Institute indicated the Chicago-urban area as ranking third out of the 14 most congested areas in total delay in hours, following New York-Newark and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, California.
The Chicago area ranks second in the U.S. in the amount of extra time spent on an average trip with 43 percent more time spent on the roads due to congestion. Chicago follows Los Angeles and is ahead of the San Francisco – Oakland, California area. Chicago’s 189 million annual hours of delay is greater than the national average of 166 million hours in very large urban areas. The study indicates a consistent trend of high congestion since 1982 in the Chicago area. The total congestion provided by the Texas Transportation Institute has cost the economy approximately $4.2 billion. The average cost of congestion per commuter in Chicago area is $921.
Freight
Illinois has the fourth highest freight rate in ton miles (tons of freight moved one mile) and is responsible for moving more tons of freight over its roadway network than nearly every other state in the country. The rate of 167,342 million ton miles represents 5.3 percent of the total ton-miles moved in the country in 2002. Every year, $442 billion in goods is shipped from sites in Illinois and another $416 billion in goods is shipped to sites in Illinois, with more than 75 percent traveling by truck.
Bottlenecks on the nation’s major roads and highways create significant delays for U.S, firms. An FHWA report found that freight highway bottlenecks are causing 243 million hours of freight delays annually, resulting in annual delay costs of $7.8 billion. This delay cost must then be passed onto the consumer in the form of higher prices.
The high volume of truck traffic on the state’s roads exacerbates conditions at the most congested interchanges. The Chicago area has two of the top five costliest interchanges in the nation due to congestion, accounting for $9.2 billion worth of freight. These locations are:
- I-90/I-94 at I-290 in Chicago, with 286,000 hours of delay affecting $4.2 billion worth of freight; and
- I-94 at I-90 in Chicago with 281,700 hours of delay affecting $5 billion worth of freight.
Safety
Roadway-related deaths and injuries have a significant impact on the well-being of highway users and the state’s economic health. According to IDOT, the economic loss due to traffic crashes in Illinois is estimated to be $10.7 billion annually. In 2006, Illinois’s fatality rate per 100 million VMT was 1.17, lower than the national average of 1.41. The percent reduction in fatality rate has been significant since 2003; between 2003 and 2006 alone, the fatality rate decreased 14 percent, from 1.36 to 1.17. More importantly the number of fatalities has dropped steadily from 1,454 in 2003 to 1,043 in 2008 and the number of incapacitating injuries has decreased from 18,375 in 2003 to 13,463 in 2008, a reduction of 28 and 27 percent, respectively.
These significant reductions have occurred for several reasons but are primarily due to legislation. In 2003, a primary seat belt law was passed in Illinois and the Safe, Accountable, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) went into effect in 2005. SAFETEA-LU shifted the focus of transportation safety programs to severe crashes rather than all crashes, held agencies accountable for reducing severe crashes, and supported an integrated approach which coordinated efforts from engineering, education, enforcement and emergency medical services (commonly referred to as the “4Es”).
As a result of SAFETEA-LU, Illinois endorsed the Comprehensive Safety Plan (ICHSP), which was targeted at reducing the number of traffic fatalities to fewer than 1,000 per year by 2008. While Illinois had slightly more than 1,000 fatalities at the end of 2008, the update of the ICHSP to the Illinois Strategic Highway Safety Plan (ISHSP) included a revised goal of zero fatalities with interim percentage reductions. The ISHSP has 10 emphasis areas for achieving the zero fatality goal:
- Alcohol and other impaired driving,
- Driver behavior and awareness,
- Highway-railroad grade crossings,
- Information systems for decision making,
- Intersections,
- Large trucks,
- Roadway departure,
- Seatbelts/occupant protection,
- Vulnerable users, and
- Work zones.
Multi-disciplinary implementations teams are focusing efforts on the emphasis areas to reduce severe and fatal crashes on both the state and local systems using the “4E” approach. As a result of these efforts, many safety programs have either been put in place or enhanced. For example, low-cost safety improvements, such as curve delineation for rural curves and cable median barrier installations along freeways, have been implemented on a system-wide basis. Targeted enforcement and education programs have also been implemented based on locations and information provided in the Five Percent Report published by the Illinois Department of Transportation, which identifies the most hazardous locations in the state. Illinois has also focused additional resources on improving the safety of the local road system and improved data quality and availability.
The safety improvements in Illinois are significant both when compared to previous years and to other states across the country.
In 2006, Illinois’s fatality rate of 10 per 100,000 of population was the eighth lowest fatality rate in the nation and 28.6 percent lower than the national average of 14 per 100,000.
Policy and Funding
IDOT has released its FY 2010-2015 Proposed Highway Improvement Program, which includes $14.314 billion for fiscal years 2010-2015 and $2.4 billion for FY 2010. Funding for the six-year program is made up of $7.499 billion in federal funds, $6.111 billion in state funds and $704 million in local funds. Approximately 64 percent of the state program is allocated for roadway system and bridge maintenance.
The program is designed to maintain existing facilities with little money to expand the current system or mitigate congestion. Approximately 5,260 miles of interstate and non-interstate roadways will receive some form of system maintenance, which would include reconstruction, resurfacing, widening and/or safety projects, while only 55 miles of roadway would receive funding for major projects that reduce traffic congestion in urban areas and/or improve traffic flow. Only one mile of roadway has been identified for system expansion, which includes projects that increase access and promote economic development.
By focusing on maintenance, the overall condition of roads may remain unchanged, but commuter delays and congestion will continue to increase. In turn, this will have a negative impact on the state’s economy if the freight industry begins to find routes around Illinois to avoid the costs associated with vehicles and goods idling on congested roads. Combined with the state’s lack of a capital improvement program over the last 10 years, indications are the roadway system will be unable to adequately meet the increasing demands placed on it in the coming years.
In November 2008, the Illinois Tollway Board of Directors approved the Congestion-Relief Program (CRP) Phase Two – Tomorrow’s Transportation Today. The new $1.8-billion capital program includes development and implementation of green lanes and funding for an interchange improvement program to continue congestion-relief and mobility improvements, while introducing new opportunities for regional environmental and economic benefits. However, the Tollway’s CRP Phase Two program is currently on hold.
Conclusion
The challenges posed by our highway infrastructure require a large increase in both public and private capital investment. The failure to adequately invest in the state’s highways and roads will lead to increased congestion and delays for motorists, further deterioration of pavement conditions and increased safety concerns. An overstressed infrastructure will slow freight delivery and increase the cost of consumer goods. Recent legislation in Illinois addresses maintenance of the current roadway system, but does not adequately provide for congestion mitigation and increased traffic delays.
Nationally, it is clear that the current funding model for the Highway Trust Fund is failing. While acknowledging the need to move to a new, sustainable funding system in the long term, other revenue sources, such as increased taxes on gasoline and diesel, need to be reviewed to address the current shortfall in funding. However, this is not a long-term solution. We cannot continue to rely upon gasoline and diesel taxes to generate necessary revenues, especially when national policy demands a reduction in both our reliance upon foreign sources of energy and our nation’s carbon footprint. Legislation to replace SAFETEA-LU must address the framework for a performance-based and fully accountable user system that more directly aligns fees that a user is charged with the benefits that the user derives. This legislation must also encourage innovative thinking and solutions from all sectors: public, private and academia.
In the absence of adequate funding, the engineering community has responded through innovative solutions with available resources that maximize benefits. Some examples include diversifying modes of travel (road, rail, port and air), consolidating transfer points and focusing on efficient travel nodes (intersections, i.e. roundabout, continuous flow intersections).
Recommendations
Since roadways are decaying at a pace outpacing rehabilitation efforts, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Illinois Section makes the following recommendations:
- Increase spending significantly at all levels of government to repair, improve and expand the Illinois surface transportation system;
- Implement strategies to decrease the highway congestion to relieve the congestion costs for travelers and aid economic development;
- Increase funding for long-term, advanced highway research;
- Continue and increase federal funding provided to Illinois under SAFETEA-LU;
- Address the long-term viability of fuel taxes for transportation funding and explore the viability of the most promising options to strengthen this funding;
- Evaluate non-traditional practices, including road user fees, public-private partnerships, and design-build practices.
Sources
TRIP, Key Facts about Illinois’ Interstate Highway System, http://www.tripnet.org/IllinoisInterstateFactSheet062906.pdf
American Society of Civil Engineers, Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, 2009, http://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/state-page/illinois
Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois Strategic Highway Safety Plan, April 2009, http://www.dot.state.il.us/illinoisSHSP/pdf/illinoisSHSP.pdf
U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, State Transportation Statistics 2007, Table 1-2: Public Road Lengths, Miles by Ownership: 2006, http://www.bts.gov/publications/state_transportation_statistics/state_transportation_statistics_2007/html/table_01_02.html
U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, State Transportation Statistics 2007, Table 1-4: Road Condition: 2006, http://www.bts.gov/publications/state_transportation_statistics/state_transportation_statistics_2007/html/table_01_04.html
U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, September 2009, http://www.census.gov/prod/2009pubs/acsbr08-3.pdf
Texas Transportation Institute, 2009 Annual Urban Mobility Report, July 2009, http://mobility.tamu.edu/ums/
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and TRIP, America’s Top Five Transportation Headaches – and Their Remedies, January 2009, http://www.tripnet.org/Transportation_Headaches_Report_Jan_2009.pdf
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), America’s Freight Challenge, May 2007, http://www.tficillinois.org/pdf/AASHTO-4-Invest%20In%20Our%20Future-May07.pdf
U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, State Transportation Statistics 2007, http://www.bts.gov/publications/state_transportation_statistics/state_transportation_statistics_2007/index.html
Illinois Tollway, Congestion-Relief Program, September 2007, http://www.illinoistollway.com/portal/page?_pageid=133,1399545&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL
Illinois Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration Highway Safety Improvement Program, Illinois Five Percent Report, September 2009, http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/hsip/fivepercent/2009/09il.htm
1 Includes state park, state toll, other state agency, other local agency, and roadways not identified by ownership
2 Roadways in federal parks, forests, and reservations that are not part of the state and local highway systems