The highway bill explained

From commuters to commerce, how the Highway Bill keeps America moving forward.

How it Works

America's highways, transit, and rail rely on the Highway Trust Fund, which is funded by the federal gas tax. Every few years, Congress passes a new Highway Bill that determines how funding for highways, transit, and rail will be spent. But Congressional delays prevent federal dollars from reaching states and communities, creating uncertainty and slowing down local projects.

Four Ways to Move America Forward

Modernize how we Pay for Highways, Transit, and Rail

The Issue: The gas tax hasn’t changed since 1993. Meanwhile, vehicles have become 28% more efficient, EVs pay little to nothing in gas tax and construction costs have ballooned 336% since 2003. The Highway Trust Fund can no longer support our existing system, let alone the expansion needed to ease congestion and support economic growth. Our highways, transit, and rail systems can only meet 21st-century needs if our funding mechanisms do the same.

The Highway Bill's 5-6 year timeline provides planning certainty and this stability shields projects from political shifts and ensures communities can plan long-term improvements.

Why?

States and local communities are struggling to make up for what federal dollars cannot provide.

Highway construction costs have ballooned by 336% since 2003.

Source: Bell, D.

The gas tax has not changed since 1993, which, with inflation each year, is worth half as much today.

Source: Tax Policy Center

Vehicles are, on average, 28% more efficient than they were when the gas tax was last updated, which means less money is going into the Highway Trust Fund while cars are going further.

Why it Matters: Americans want safe roads that can take us to work, on vacation, and to visit family and friends without delays and congestion. States and local communities can’t do this alone – we need the Highway Trust Fund to function. Congress must modernize the fund to ensure there is enough money to meet America’s infrastructure needs while ensuring that all road users are paying their fair share.

Major roads in poor condition:

39%

Source: TRIP (2025)

Average annual funding gap:

$28 billion

Source: Eno Center for Trans

A Formula to Reduce Bottlenecks

The Issue: Congestion and bottlenecks across the country are frustrating Americans going to work and school; slowing down the movement of goods and services which cause delays and add costs; increasing chances for accidents; and slowing first responders. Complicated federal funding programs meant to alleviate traffic often get caught in bureaucratic traffic, slowing deployment of funding and project start times.

Why it Matters: Traffic and congestion are often a sign that our infrastructure is overburdened. Investing in road improvements, transit, and rail can help reduce congestion and make people’s lives easier and help businesses grow. An overly complicated system for distributing federal funding has created even more delays. Streamlining and consolidating programs, while disbursing funding more quickly will accelerate project timelines and provide certainty to municipalities; helping reduce traffic sooner.

Average commuter wastes

63 hours per year

or 8 vacation days due to congestion

Source: Texas A&M Transportation Institute's 2025 Urban Mobility Report

$1,480

is the average cost an auto commuter pays due to congestion annually

Source: Texas A&M Transportation Institute's 2025 Urban Mobility Report

$36 billion

in wasted time and fuel due to truck congestion in 2024

Source: Federal Highway Administration (2022)

streamline project approvals to build sooner

The Issue: Redundant environmental reviews across federal and state agencies delay critical infrastructure project for years and drive up costs, without delivering better environmental outcomes. On average, it takes 4-5 years just for federal environmental approval.

Why it Matters: Consolidating overlapping review processes eliminates duplication while maintaining rigorous environmental protections. This isn't about cutting environmental safeguards, it's about ensuring taxpayer dollars fund construction, not bureaucratic delays. Environmental reviews should be thorough and effective, not tools for indefinite project stalls.

Average permitting timeline:

4–5 years

Source: McKinsey

Delays cost the economy

$100-140 billion annually

Source: McKinsey

Every year of delay

means Americans drive over structurally deficient bridges and pothole-riddled highways.

Make Roads, and America Safer

The Issue: Work zone crashes injure and kill drivers and construction workers every year, but safety data remains incomplete and inconsistent across state lines. Without reliable national data and investment in better training, safety standards, and safety technology agencies can’t identify high-risk conditions or determine which safety interventions actually work.

Why it Matters: A centralized, accessible federal database enables state and local governments to identify proven safety measures and deploy them nationwide. When one state discovers an effective intervention, every state benefits. Better data sharing means faster adoption of life-saving practices for both drivers and construction workers.

States maintain flexibility to tailor safety programs to local conditions, contractors and environments – using federal data to inform their decisions rather than following one-size-fits-all mandates.

891 vehicle occupants died

in work zone accidents in 2022.

Source: Federal Highway Administration

63% of contractors

report at least one work zone crash per year.

Source: AGC

97% say work zones

are more or equally as dangerous as last year.