Tables 3-1 and 3-1M. Miles and Kilometers of Infrastructure by Mode

Freight is carried via an extensive network of roads, railroad, waterways, and pipelines. Road infrastructure increased slowly over the past two decades despite a large increase in the volume of traffic. Between 1980 and 2003, route miles of public roads increased by 3 percent compared with an 89 percent increase in vehicle miles traveled (vmt). Over the same period, miles of railroad dropped by more than 20 percent, while rail shipments (measured in ton-miles) increased by 69 percent.

Table 3-1 (standard units)
Table in Excel format | Historical data

	1980	1990	2000	2003	Percent change, 1980-2003
Public roads, route miles	3,859,837	3,866,926	3,951,101	3,989,847	3.4
National Highway System (NHS)	N	N	161,189	161,801	N
Interstates	41,120	45,074	46,673	46,769	13.7
Other NHS	N	N	114,516	115,032	N
Freight Intermodal connectors1	N	N	N	1,853	N
Other	N	N	3,789,912	3,858,047	N
Strategic Highway Corridor Network (STRAHNET)	N	N	62,066	62,576	N
Interstate	N	N	46,675	46,773	N
Non-Interstate	N	N	15,389	15,803	N
Railroad	183,0772	175,909	170,512	140,939	-23.0
Class I	NA	133,189	120,597	98,944	NA
Regional	NA	18,375	20,978	15,648	NA
Local	NA	24,337	28,937	26,347	NA
Inland waterways
Navigable channels	11,000	11,000	11,000	11,000	0.0
Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway	2,342	2,342	2,342	2,342	0.0
Pipelines
Oil	218,393	208,752	176,996	160,868	-26.3
Gas	1,051,774	(R)1,189,200	(R)1,369,300	1,424,200	35.4

Key: N = not applicable; NA = not available; R = revised.

¹Excludes intermodal connectors serving intercity bus, Amtrak, and public transit facilities.
²Excludes Class III railroads.

Table 3-1M (metric units)
Table in Excel format

	1980	1990	2000	2002	Percent change, 1980-2002
Public roads, route kilometers	6,211,806	6,223,214	6,358,681	6,421,036	3.4
National Highway System (NHS)	N	N	259,409	260,393	N
Interstates	66,176	72,540	75,113	75,267	13.7
Other NHS	N	N	184,296	185,126	N
Freight Intermodal connectors1	N	N	N	2,982	NA
Other	N	N	6,099,2272	6,160,644	N
Strategic Highway Corridor Network (STRAHNET)	N	N	99,886	100,706	N
Interstate	N	N	75,116	75,274	N
Non-Interstate	N	N	24,766	25,432	N
Railroad	294,6342	283,098	274,412	226,819	-23.0
Class I	NA	214,347	194,082	159,235	NA
Regional	NA	29,572	33,761	25,183	NA
Local	NA	39,167	46,570	42,401	NA
Inland waterways
Navigable channels	17,703	17,703	17,703	17,703	0.0
Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway	3,769	3,769	3,769	3,769	0.0
Pipelines
Oil	351,469	335,954	284,847	258,892	-26.3
Gas	1,692,666	(R)1,913,832	(R)2,203,675	2,292,028	36.2

Key: N = not applicable; NA = not available; R = revised.

¹Excludes intermodal connectors serving intercity bus, Amtrak, and public transit facilities.
²Excludes Class III railroads.

Note: 1 mile = 1.61 kilometers.

Sources: Public roads: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics, (Washington, DC: Annual issues) table HM-16.
Intermodal connectors: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Office of Planning, National Highway System Intermodal Connectors, available at https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep10/nhs/intermodalconnectors/index.html as of July 5, 2005.
Rail: Association of American Railroads, Railroad Facts (Washington, DC: various issues).
Navigable channels: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway: Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, "Seaway Facts," available at http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/aboutus/seawayfacts.html as of July 6, 2005.
Oil pipelines: 1980-2000: Eno Transportation Foundation, Transportation in America, 2002 (Washington, DC: 2002). 2003: U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Office of Pipeline Safety, Pipeline Statistics, Internet site http://ops.dot.gov/stats/lpo.htm as of July 5, 2005.
Gas pipelines: American Gas Association, Gas Facts (Arlington, VA: Annual issues).

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