Fernando de Querol Cumbrera
Research expert covering construction, loans, leasing, savings, and debt
Highway construction in the U.S. - statistics & facts
Most of the funding for the construction of highways in the United States comes from the public sector. The private sector is mostly involved in these projects as contractors that get hired to do certain construction works, or through public-private partnerships (PPP). Under a PPP, private firms either receive money from the government to build, operate or maintain parts of the road network, or these firms acquire the right to generate revenue in exchange for a fee paid to the government. In terms of public investment, the majority of the spending on highway and street construction was at the local and state government level. In 2023, just 5.4 billion U.S. dollars for that type of transportation infrastructure came from the Federal Government.
Thus, local, state, and Federal Governments, working with contractors and construction companies, share the responsibility for maintaining the quality of the system of highways, roads, and streets in the U.S.
Highways and other public infrastructure projects
In 2023, and in most recent years, highways and streets were either the type of infrastructure with the highest construction spending or the second in the ranking after power infrastructure projects. Despite some fluctuations, that investment on roads has been rising. There was also over a 100 million U.S. dollars for infrastructure projects that came from the private sector. However, as mentioned above, those figures were not significant for the highway and street segment. Most of that private construction spending went to power infrastructure, with only a much smaller amount going to transport, which also includes airports and railway.Transportation spending in the Federal Budget
Even if the local and state governments are responsible for the largest share of new roads built and the maintenance of the older ones, the Federal Government also plays an important role. Over 3.39 billion U.S. dollars of the spending by the Federal Government on construction in 2023, as well as architectural and engineering services went to the Department of Transport (DOT). The DOT is responsible for planning and coordinating the highway system across states, providing important funding towards that goal. Nevertheless, that is not the only departments of the U.S. funding transportation infrastructure. In fact, that same year, the spending of the Department of Defense on construction, architectural and engineering services included 1.26 billion U.S. dollars for highway, street, and bridge construction.Thus, local, state, and Federal Governments, working with contractors and construction companies, share the responsibility for maintaining the quality of the system of highways, roads, and streets in the U.S.
