FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
10:00 a.m. CDT, Wednesday, April 9, 2025
Contact:
Rocky Moretti (202) 262-0714
Carolyn Bonifas Kelly (703) 801-9212
Click here for the full report, news conference recording, interview with report author and infographics
SHREVEPORT MOTORISTS LOSE MORE THAN $2,700 PER YEAR DRIVING ON ROADS THAT ARE ROUGH, CONGESTED & LACK SOME DESIRABLE SAFETY FEATURES – $9.9 BILLION STATEWIDE
Shreveport, LA – Roads and bridges that are deteriorated, congested or lack some desirable safety features cost Louisiana motorists a total of $9.9 billion statewide annually – $2,749 per driver in the Shreveport urban area – due to higher vehicle operating costs, traffic crashes and congestion-related delays. A lack of adequate investment in transportation and increasing inflation in construction costs could hamper Louisiana’s ability to make needed improvements to its transportation network, according to a new report released today by TRIP, a Washington, DC, based national transportation research nonprofit.
The TRIP report, “Keeping Louisiana Mobile: Providing a Modern, Sustainable Transportation System in the Pelican State,” finds that throughout Louisiana, half of major locally and state-maintained roads are in poor or mediocre condition, 11 percent of locally and state-maintained bridges (20 feet or more in length) are rated poor/structurally deficient, traffic congestion is choking commuting and commerce, and the state’s traffic fatality rate is among the highest in the nation. In addition to statewide data, the TRIP report includes regional pavement and bridge conditions, congestion data, highway safety data, and cost breakdowns for the Baton Rouge, Lafayette, New Orleans and Shreveport urban areas.
The average Shreveport motorist loses $2,749 per year in the form of extra vehicle operating costs (VOC) as a result of driving on roads in need of repair, lost time and fuel due to congestion-related delays, and the costs of traffic crashes in which the lack of adequate roadway safety features, while not the primary factor, likely were a contributing factor. A breakdown of the costs per motorist in the state’s largest urban areas, along with a statewide total, is below.
The TRIP report finds that 60 percent of major locally and state-maintained roads in the Shreveport urban area are in poor or mediocre condition, costing the average motorist an additional $955 each year in extra vehicle operating costs, including accelerated vehicle depreciation, additional repair costs, and increased fuel consumption and tire wear. Statewide, 50 percent of Louisiana’s major roads are in poor or mediocre condition.
In the Shreveport area, nine percent of bridges are rated poor/structurally deficient, with significant deterioration to the bridge deck, supports or other major components. Statewide, 11 percent of Louisiana’s bridges are rated poor/structurally deficient – the seventh highest share in the nation.
Traffic congestion in the Shreveport area causes 32 annual hours of delay for the average motorist and costs the average driver $1,019 annually in lost time and wasted fuel. Shreveport drivers waste an average of 21 gallons of fuel per motorist annually due to congestion. Statewide, drivers lose $4.1 billion annually as a result of lost time and wasted fuel due to traffic congestion. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, vehicle travel in Louisiana dropped by as much as 36 percent in April 2020 (as compared to vehicle travel during the same month the previous year). By 2024, vehicle miles of travel in Louisiana had rebounded to nine percent higher than 2019’s pre-pandemic levels.
Traffic crashes in Louisiana claimed the lives of 4,234 people from 2019 to 2023. In 2023, Louisiana had 1.42 traffic fatalities for every 100 million miles traveled, the 14th highest rate in the nation and higher than the national average of 1.26. The number of traffic fatalities in Louisiana spiked significantly in 2020 and 2021 before falling in 2022 and 2023. In the Shreveport area, on average, 57 people were killed in traffic crashes each year from 2018 to 2022. The financial impact of traffic crashes in which the lack of adequate roadway safety features, while not the primary factor, were likely a contributing factor, was an average of $775 annually per each Shreveport area driver – a total of $2.9 billion statewide.
“Leaders across Louisiana should be concerned about the poor condition of infrastructure across our state and how it weakens our economic development and quality of life,” said Adam Knapp, CEO of Leaders for a Better Louisiana. “We encourage elected officials to place a high sense of urgency on investing in the state’s roads, bridges, and multimodal infrastructure.”
Improvements to Louisiana’s roads, highways and bridges are funded by local, state and federal governments. State transportation funds are supplemented by the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), signed into law in November 2021. The IIJA will provide $4.8 billion in state funds for highway and bridge investments in Louisiana over five years, representing a 29 percent increase in annual federal funding for roads and bridges in Louisiana over the previous federal surface transportation program.
“Well-maintained roads are the backbone of Louisiana’s tourism industry, ensuring seamless travel to our hotels, attractions, and festivals,” said Chris Landry, president and CEO of the Louisiana Travel Association. “Smooth, accessible highways not only enhance the visitor experience but also fuel the local economy by boosting hotel occupancy, increasing attendance at cultural events, and supporting businesses across the state. A strong infrastructure creates the perfect road to Louisiana’s thriving tourism economy.”
The ability of revenue from Louisiana’s motor fuel tax – a critical source of state transportation funds – to keep pace with the state’s future transportation needs is likely to erode as a result of increasing vehicle fuel efficiency, the increasing use of electric vehicles and inflation in highway construction costs. The Federal Highway Administration’s national highway construction cost index, which measures labor and materials cost, increased by 46 percent from the beginning of 2022 through the first quarter of 2024.
“Businesses depend on efficient transportation networks to move goods, connect with customers, and attract and retain talent,” said Will Green, president and CEO, Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI). “The TRIP report reinforces what Louisiana’s business leaders have long understood: our aging roads and bridges are not only struggling to keep up with current demand but are actively holding back economic growth and job creation. Without meaningful investment, Louisiana risks falling further behind neighboring states that are prioritizing infrastructure and reaping the benefits. That’s why LABI is prioritizing advancing efficiency measures within DOTD to streamline project delivery and champion smart, strategic infrastructure investments. The long-term strength of our economy and the quality of life for our residents depends on it.”
The efficiency and condition of Louisiana’s transportation system, particularly its highways, is critical to the health of the state’s economy. In 2023 Louisiana’s freight system moved 1.4 billion tons of freight, valued at $591 billion. From 2022 to 2050, freight moved annually in Louisiana by trucks is expected to increase 75 percent by weight and 107 percent by value (inflation-adjusted dollars). The design, construction and maintenance of transportation infrastructure in Louisiana supports approximately 77,800 full-time jobs across all sectors of the state economy. Approximately one million full-time jobs in Louisiana in key industries like tourism, retail sales, agriculture and manufacturing are dependent on the quality, safety and reliability of the state’s transportation infrastructure network.
“It will be critical that Louisiana adequately invest in its transportation network in order to provide a system that is smooth, safe and efficient,” said Dave Kearby, TRIP’s executive director. “Louisiana’s transportation dollars are already being stretched thin by increased inflation in construction costs, and without additional transportation investment, needed projects that would make the state’s roads safer, smoother and more efficient will not move forward.”