a cross-state comparison of arkansas's highway financing and infrastructure quality
TRANSCRIPT
A Cross-State Comparison of Arkansas's Highway Financing and
Infrastructure Quality
Arkansas Highway Facts
Total Arkansas public roadways1 99,558
Rural roadway miles1 87,592
Urban roadway miles1 11,966
The annual average daily traffic per lane1 1,911
The annual vehicle-miles traveled[1] 33,171,000
Total Highway Department expenditures for fiscal year 2008[2]
$978,320,514
Per capita Highway Department expenditures for fiscal year 2008
$342.62
Highway Department expenditures per mile for fiscal year 2008
$9,826.64
[1] Source: Federal Highway Administration (2007)[2] Source: Bureau of Legislative Research (2008)
Arkansas and the Surrounding States
Population (Millions)
Land Area (Square Miles)
Vehicle Miles
Traveled (Millions)
State-Maintained Hwy. Miles
Total Hwy. Miles*
Arkansas 2.8 52,075 33.0 16,432 99,558
Louisiana 4.2 43,566 45.5 16,687 61,008
Mississippi 2.9 46,914 41.5 10,970 74,622
Missouri 5.8 68,898 68.8 33,681 129,122
Oklahoma 3.6 68,679 48.7 12,287 112,922
Tennessee 6.0 41,219 70.6 13,836 91,058
Texas 23.5 261,914 238.3 79,849 305,855Source: Snyder, J. (2008)
*Source: Federal Highway Administration (2007)
A Comparison of Arkansas’s Highway Funding with the Surrounding States
• All the values presented exclude federal funding, thus only state-level highway department revenues are included.
• Historical data covers the last 25 years. (1982-2006)
• All values presented are in real terms.
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Ind
ex
Va
lue
InflationHighway Construction Price Trend
Highway Construction Cost Index vs. Inflation
Total Highway Revenues from 1982-2006
Source: Federal Highway Administration
$0
$500,000
$1,000,000
$1,500,000
$2,000,000
$2,500,000
$3,000,000
$3,500,000
$4,000,000
$4,500,000
$5,000,000
$5,500,000
Reve
nues
(in th
ousa
nds)
Arkansas Louisiana Mississippi Missouri Oklahoma Tennessee Texas
Total Highway Revenues from 1982-2006
Source: Federal Highway Administration
$0
$500,000
$1,000,000
$1,500,000
$2,000,000
$2,500,000
$3,000,000
$3,500,000
$4,000,000
$4,500,000
$5,000,000
$5,500,000
Reve
nues
(in th
ousa
nds)
Arkansas Louisiana Mississippi Missouri Oklahoma Tennessee Texas
Average Change in Total Highway Funding from 1982-2006
25-Year Average Funding
25-Year Average Change in Funding
Arkansas $ 514,051,000 3.10%
Louisiana $ 1,003,046,000 6.89%
Mississippi $ 581,889,000 1.95%
Missouri $ 975,812,000 4.70%
Oklahoma $ 816,366,000 9.20%
Tennessee $ 949,696,000 2.64%
Texas $ 3,099,940,000 5.32%
Per Capita Highway Revenues from 1982-2006
Source: Federal Highway Administration
$100.00$125.00$150.00$175.00$200.00$225.00$250.00$275.00$300.00$325.00$350.00$375.00$400.00$425.00$450.00$475.00
Reve
nues
per
Cap
ita
Arkansas Louisiana Mississippi Missouri Oklahoma Tennessee Texas
Per Capita Highway Revenues from 1982-2006
$100.00
$125.00
$150.00
$175.00
$200.00
$225.00
$250.00
$275.00
$300.00
$325.00
$350.00
$375.00
$400.00
$425.00
$450.00
$475.00
Rev
enue
s per
Cap
ita
Arkansas Louisiana Mississippi Missouri Oklahoma Tennessee Texas
Source: Federal Highway Administration
Average Per Capita Highway Funding from 1982-2006
25-Year Average Per Capita Highway Funding
Arkansas $204.86
Louisiana $230.19
Mississippi $215.57
Missouri $181.40
Oklahoma $245.49
Tennessee $181.02
Texas $162.34
State Highway Department Revenues per Mile from 1982-2006
Source: Federal Highway Administration
$0$2,500$5,000$7,500
$10,000$12,500$15,000$17,500$20,000$22,500
$25,000$27,500$30,000$32,500$35,000
Reve
nue P
er M
ile
Arkansas Louisiana Mississippi Missouri Oklahoma Tennessee Texas
ArkansasArkansas Highway Department Revenues
per Mile from 1982-2006
Source: Federal Highway Administration
$0$2,500$5,000$7,500
$10,000$12,500$15,000$17,500$20,000$22,500
$25,000$27,500$30,000$32,500$35,000
Reve
nue P
er M
ile
Arkansas Louisiana Mississippi Missouri Oklahoma Tennessee Texas
25 Year Average Highway Funding per Mile
AR LA MS MO OK TN TX
$5,997 $16,853 $7,987 $7,961 $7,286 $11,024 $10,463
• Louisiana ranks first in funding per mile
• Arkansas ranks last among the states in this sample.
A Comparison of Arkansas’s Current Road Quality with the Surrounding States
• Road Quality measured objectively using the International Roughness Index (IRI).
– The IRI is an objective equipment-based measure that allows for cross-state comparisons of road quality.
• Based on the IRI, a score value was calculated and the 7 states within the sample were ranked according to road quality.
Rural Area - InternationalRoughness Index Score
State Score Ranking
Arkansas 0.72 5
Louisiana 0.71 7
Mississippi 0.72 6
Missouri 0.75 2
Oklahoma 0.73 4
Tennessee 0.88 1
Texas 0.74 3
Urban Area - InternationalRoughness Index Score
State Score Ranking
Arkansas 0.64 4
Louisiana 0.59 7
Mississippi 0.67 3
Missouri 0.74 2
Oklahoma 0.63 5
Tennessee 0.81 1
Texas 0.62 6
Overall - InternationalRoughness Index Score
State Score Ranking
Arkansas 0.667 3
Louisiana 0.581 7
Mississippi 0.652 4
Missouri 0.678 2
Oklahoma 0.643 5
Tennessee 0.750 1
Texas 0.618 6
Arkansas Road Quality Categories Compared To The National Average
Very Good
Good Fair Mediocre Poor
Arkansas 11.39% 35.67% 39.28% 9.81% 3.86%
National Average[1]
13.00% 27.00% 41.00% 11.00% 7.00%
[1] Source: American Society of Civil Engineers (2006)
Overall Trends
• Tennessee spends less per capita and per highway mile, but ranks highest in road quality.
• Louisiana leads the region in highway funding per mile and ranks second in funding per capita, but has the poorest quality roads.
Overall Trends
The bottom line: Based on our analysis, there is not a significant correlation between the IRI road quality index and funding.
This suggests that other factors may affect road quality other than the amount of funding received.
Conclusion
• Arkansas’s average highway funding since 1982 has increased 3.10%. (in real terms)
• Among the 7 surrounding states, Arkansas ranks:– 4th in per capita funding– 7th in funding per highway mile– 3rd overall road quality (measured by the IRI)
• Arkansas’s road quality is also above the national average.