A Cross-State Comparison of Arkansas's Highway Financing and Infrastructure Quality

Arkansas Highway Facts Total Arkansas public roadways 1 99,558 Rural roadway miles 1 87,592 Urban roadway miles 1 11,966 The annual average daily traffic per lane 1 1,911 The annual vehicle-miles traveled[1][1]33,171,000 Total Highway Department expenditures for fiscal year 2008[2][2] $978,320,514 Per capita Highway Department expenditures for fiscal year 2008 $ Highway Department expenditures per mile for fiscal year 2008 $9, [1][1] Source: Federal Highway Administration (2007) [2][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 2.852, ,43299,558 Louisiana 4.243, ,68761,008 Mississippi 2.946, ,97074,622 Missouri 5.868, ,681129,122 Oklahoma 3.668, ,287112,922 Tennessee 6.041, ,83691,058 Texas , ,849305,855 Source: 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. ( ) All values presented are in real terms.

Highway Construction Cost Index vs. Inflation

Total Highway Revenues from Source: Federal Highway Administration

Total Highway Revenues from Source: Federal Highway Administration

Average Change in Total Highway Funding from Year Average Funding 25-Year Average Change in Funding Arkansas $ 514,051, % Louisiana $ 1,003,046, % Mississippi $ 581,889, % Missouri $ 975,812, % Oklahoma $ 816,366, % Tennessee $ 949,696, % Texas $ 3,099,940, %

Per Capita Highway Revenues from Source: Federal Highway Administration

Per Capita Highway Revenues from Source: Federal Highway Administration

Average Per Capita Highway Funding from Year Average Per Capita Highway Funding Arkansas $ Louisiana $ Mississippi $ Missouri $ Oklahoma $ Tennessee $ Texas $162.34

State Highway Department Revenues per Mile from Source: Federal Highway Administration

Arkansas Arkansas Highway Department Revenues per Mile from Source: Federal Highway Administration

25 Year Average Highway Funding per Mile ARLAMSMOOKTNTX $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 - International Roughness Index Score StateScoreRanking Arkansas Louisiana Mississippi Missouri Oklahoma Tennessee Texas0.74 3

Urban Area - International Roughness Index Score StateScoreRanking Arkansas Louisiana Mississippi Missouri Oklahoma Tennessee Texas0.62 6

Overall - International Roughness Index Score StateScoreRanking Arkansas Louisiana Mississippi Missouri Oklahoma Tennessee Texas

Arkansas Road Quality Categories Compared To The National Average Very Good GoodFairMediocrePoor Arkansas11.39%35.67%39.28%9.81%3.86% National Average[1][1] 13.00%27.00%41.00%11.00%7.00% [1][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: –4 th in per capita funding –7 th in funding per highway mile –3 rd overall road quality (measured by the IRI) Arkansas’s road quality is also above the national average.