State of Roads and Bridges in 2020

This entry has several graphs and charts, which can be read more easily by screen reading software in this pdf.

The region’s network of roads and bridges links communities, facilitates the movement of people and goods, and enables connectivity to core services. For many communities, the road network is their largest single investment. To maximize the “bang for your buck” in this world of limited resources, an asset management approach is essential. A core principle of asset management in maintaining infrastructure is the regular assessment of the condition of roads and bridges.

The Michigan Transportation Asset Management Council recently released their annual report on the condition of Michigan’s roads and bridges. This provides an opportunity to review current conditions and trends of infrastructure in Southeast Michigan.

Roads

In 2020, COVID-19 precautions prevented crews from collecting pavement condition data on federal aid-eligible roads. Federal aid roads are the roads that carry the most traffic in the region, such as interstate freeways, principal arterials like Woodward Avenue, or collector roads that link to commercial, educational, or industrial sites. They do not include local/residential streets or private roads. Looking back on the 2-year cycle of data collection, over 58 percent of lane-miles in the region are in good or fair condition. There has been a steady increase in the percentage of roads in poor condition.

Road condition data is recorded by a multi-agency partnership of transportation officials, who use a standardized system and process to create road ratings. This enables uniform and reliable information year-over-year, which is essential to inform and longer-term decision-making.

SEMCOG Region Federal Aid Road Condition, 2010 – 2019

Source: SEMCOG

2018-2019 Federal-Aid Road Condition by Jurisdiction (lane-miles)

Historic pavement condition is available on SEMCOG’s Pavement Condition Map. The map allows for filtering by community, road jurisdiction, National Functional Classification, as well as road characteristics such as the road surface type.Source: SEMCOG

SEMCOG Pavement Condition Map

Local Roads

SEMCOG supports community efforts to collect road condition data on local roads through a Local Road Rating grant program. In 2020, nine communities were awarded grants to collect road condition data on their residential roads. In addition, another five communities shared their data for inclusion in SEMCOG’s pavement management database. In all, 1,615 miles of local road rating was shared with SEMCOG in 2020. Only 46 percent of local roads surveyed in 2020 received a good or fair rating.

Local Road Ratings, 2020

Source: SEMCOG

Bridge Conditions

MDOT and local bridge rating programs continued through the pandemic. Historic trends show that the number of bridges in poor condition has been quite steady at 12 percent. However, there has been a steady increase in bridges in fair condition (50 percent in 2020) and a decrease in bridges in good condition.

Bridge Condition Trends, 2010 to 2020

Source: TAMC

Source: MDOT