What is the National Highway System?
A.The National Highway System (NHS) of the United States comprises approximately 160,000 miles of roadway, including the Interstate Highway System as well as other roads, which are important to the nation’s economy, defense, and mobility. The NHS was identified in 1995 by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration in cooperation with the states, local officials, and metropolitan planning organizations.
The National Highway System comprises only 4.1 percent of the nation’s total road mileage, but carries 44.8 percent of vehicle traffic. There are 115,104 bridges on the NHS, which includes the Interstate bridges. Of these, 5.6 percent are considered structurally deficient, down from 7.9 percent in 1995. The National Highway System (NHS) has five components, including (1) the Interstate System, (2) selected other principal arterials deemed most important for commerce and trade, (3) the Strategic Highway Network (STRAHNET), (4) STRAHNET connectors, and (5) intermodal connectors that provide access between major intermodal passenger and freight facilities and other NHS components. The NHS includes 87.5 percent of urban other freeways and expressways, 35.9 percent of urban other principal arterials, and 83.8 percent of rural other principal arterials. In 2004, 19.4 percent of all U.S. bridges were located on the NHS, but these bridges had 49.
The National Highway System is a network of freeways, multi-lane arterials, two-lane paved highways, and two-lane gravel highways. It accounts for approximately 4.2 per cent of Canada’s 900,000 kilometres in roads that extend from Newfoundland to British Columbia and up through the territories. It is the backbone of Canada’s transportation system and the number one mover of people, goods and services in Canada.
Productivity • Gross State Product for Indiana and the United States Human & Natural Environment • United States Carbon Monoxide Emissions • United State Nitrogen Oxide Emissions • United Stated Volatile Organic Compound Emissions • Indiana Ozone Nonattainment (To Be Determined) National Security • To Be Determined SAFETY MEASURES Strategic Goal: Continually improve highway safety. Chart: Rate of Fatalities Chart: Actual Fatalities Performance Goal: Reduce the rate of highway-related fatalities and injuries by 20 percent within 10 years. Performance Measure: Number highway-related fatalities in Indiana as measured by both a rate for 100 Million vehicle miles travelled, and the number of statewide traffic fatalities.
