Freight Facts and Figures 2008

Tables 3-1 and 3-1M. Miles of Infrastructure by Transportation Mode: 1980-2006

Road infrastructure increased slowly over the past 25 years despite a large increase in the volume of traffic.  Between 1980 and 2006, route miles of public roads increased by 4.5 percent compared with a 97 percent increase in vehicle miles traveled.

Table 3-1 (standard units - route miles)

Table in Excel format | Historical data

	1980	1990	2000	2006	Percent change, 1980-2006
Public roads	3,859,837	3,866,926	3,951,101	4,033,007	4.5
National Highway System (NHS)	N	N	161,189	163,467	N
Interstates	41,120	45,074	46,673	46,892	14.0
Other NHS	N	N	114,516	116,575	N
Other	N	N	3,789,912	3,869,539	N
Strategic Highway Corridor Network (STRAHNET)	N	N	62,066	61,968	N
Interstate	N	N	46,675	46,893	N
Non-Interstate	N	N	15,389	15,075	N
Railroad	1183,077	175,909	170,512	139,929	-23.6
Class I	NA	133,189	120,597	94,801	N
Regional	NA	18,375	20,978	16,713	N
Local	NA	24,337	28,937	28,415	N
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	169,346	-22.5
Gas	1,051,774	1,189,200	1,369,300	1,534,300	45.9

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

¹Excludes Class III railroads.

Sources:

Public roads: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: annual issues), table HM-16 and HM- 49.

Rail: Association of American Railroads, Railroad Facts (Washington, DC: annual issues).

Navigable channels: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Inland Waterway Navigation Value to the Nation, available at www.mvp.usace.army.mil/docs/InlandWaterways.pdf as of January 13, 2009.

Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway: The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, “The Seaway,” available at www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/seaway/facts/index.html as of November 23, 2008.

Oil pipelines: 1980-2000: Eno Transportation Foundation, Transportation in America, 2002 (Washington, DC: 2002). 2006: U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Office of Pipeline Safety, Pipeline Statistics, available at www.phmsa.dot.gov/pipeline/library/data-stats as of November 23, 2008.

Gas pipelines: American Gas Association, Gas Facts (Arlington, VA: annual issues).

 

Table 3-1M (metric units - route kilometers)

Table in Excel format | Historical data

	1980	1990	2000	2006	Percent change, 1980-2006
Public roads	6,211,806	6,223,214	6,358,681	6,493,141	4.5
National Highway System (NHS)	N	N	259,409	263,182	N
Interstates	66,176	72,540	75,113	75,496	14.1
Other NHS	N	N	184,296	187,686	N
Other	N	N	6,099,272	6,229,958	N
Strategic Highway Corridor Network (STRAHNET)	N	N	99,886	99,768	N
Interstate	N	N	75,116	75,498	N
Non-Interstate	N	N	24,766	24,271	N
Railroad	1294,634	283,098	274,412	225,286	-23.1
Class I	NA	214,347	194,082	152,630	N
Regional	NA	29,572	33,761	26,908	N
Local	NA	39,167	46,570	45,748	N
Inland waterways
Navigable channels	17,703	17,703	17,703	17,710	0.0
Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway	3,769	3,769	3,769	3,771	0.0
Pipelines
Oil	351,469	335,954	284,847	272,647	-22.5
Gas	1,692,666	1,913,832	2,203,675	2,470,223	45.9

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

¹Excludes Class III railroads.

Note: 1 kilometer = 0.6 miles.

Sources:

Public roads: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: annual issues), table HM-16 and HM- 49.

Rail: Association of American Railroads, Railroad Facts (Washington, DC: annual issues).

Navigable channels: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Inland Waterway Navigation Value to the Nation, available at www.mvp.usace.army.mil/docs/InlandWaterways.pdf as of January 13, 2009.

Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway: The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, “The Seaway,” available at www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/seaway/facts/index.html as of November 23, 2008.

Oil pipelines: 1980-2000: Eno Transportation Foundation, Transportation in America, 2002 (Washington, DC: 2002). 2006: U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Office of Pipeline Safety, Pipeline Statistics, available at www.phmsa.dot.gov/pipeline/library/data-stats as of November 23, 2008.

Gas pipelines: American Gas Association, Gas Facts (Arlington, VA: annual issues).

 

 

---

To view Excel files, you can use the Microsoft Excel Viewer.

You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the PDFs on this page.