Transportation in the United States

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Transportation in the United States is facilitated by well-developed road, air, rail, and water networks.

Passenger transportation is dominated by a network of over 3.7 million kilometers of paved roads (almost entirely constructed and maintained by state and local governments) which is pervasive and highly developed by global standards. 97% of passenger trips in the U.S. are by personal automobile.[citation needed]

This is supplemented by an advanced air transportation network which includes 5,000 paved runways. Public airports are usually operated by local governments. There are over 200 domestic passenger and cargo airlines and a number of international carriers. Private aircraft are also used for medical emergencies, some government agencies, and some wealthy businesses and individuals. (See general aviation.) Air travel is the mode of choice for the majority of trips over 300 miles.[citation needed] 9 times as many passenger miles are traveled by private automobile as by air.[citation needed]

The intercity rail network is smaller than its historical peak, and has shifted emphasis toward cargo as faster air transport has come to dominate long-distance passenger travel. Intercity passenger rail is sparser than in other developed countries, and has been taken over by the quasi-governmental National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak), which serves forty-six of the lower forty-eight states.

Most medium-cities have some sort of local public transportation. Larger cities tend to have mass-transit systems, usually including subways or light rail. New York City is the country's largest metropolis and operates one of the world's most heavily used rapid transit systems. The regional rail and bus networks that extend into Long Island, New Jersey, Upstate New York, and Connecticut are among the most heavily used in the world. (See Transportation in New York City.)

Water transport is largely used for commerce (e.g. shipping and fishing) or pleasure, but passenger service also connects many of the nation's islands and remote coastal areas, crosses lakes, rivers, and harbors, and also provides an alternative means of transportation to Alaska which bypasses Canada.

Most cargo transportation in the United States is done by water, road, rail and pipeline; planes are commonly used only for perishables and premium express shipments. Usually cargo, apart from petroleum and other bulk commodities, is imported in containers through seaports, then distributed by road and rail. The quasi-governmental United States Postal Service has a monopoly on letter delivery (except for express services) but several large private companies such as FedEx and the UPS compete in the package and cargo delivery market.

The federal military has a dedicated system of bases with runways, aircraft, watercraft, conventional cars and trucks, and armored and special-purpose vehicles. During times of war, it may commandeer private infrastructure and vehicles as authorized by Congress and the President.

Contents

[edit] History

Because the automobile industry took off earlier in the United States than elsewhere, many U.S. urban areas developed in ways that reflect the use of private transportation.

To link its vast territory, the United States built a network of high-capacity, high-speed highways, of which the most important element is the Interstate Highway system. These highways were first commissioned in the 1950s by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and modeled after the German Autobahn system. There is also a transcontinental rail system, which is used for moving freight across the forty-eight contiguous states.

Urban sprawl and widespread ownership of private transport vehicles have led to light use of the types of public transportation that are more common in Japan and Europe.

[edit] Rail

Passenger trains were formerly a dominant mode of transportation, up until the mid-twentieth century. Declining profits for the privately run passenger routes drove the nationalization of passenger rail service, and the creation of Amtrak in 1971. Passenger service in most parts of the country is limited; most major cities are served, but, especially in parts of the west, by only one or two trains per day. More frequent service is available in regional corridors between major cities, particularly the Northeast Corridor between Washington, D.C., New York City and Boston, between New York City and Albany, around Chicago, and in parts of California and the Pacific Northwest. About one in every three users of mass transit in the United States and two-thirds of the nation's rail riders live in New York.

Nearly all railroad corridors (not including local transit rail systems) are owned by private companies, which provide freight service. Amtrak pays these companies for the rights to use the tracks for passenger service. There are approximately 240,000 km of mainline rail routes in the United States - the world's longest national railroad network (although not its densest, a position belonging to Central European countries). See List of United States railroads

Many cities use metro rail systems (also known as heavy rail in the U.S.) and/or light rail systems for high-capacity passenger service within the urban area. These include:

Some railroads, such as the Long Island Rail Road in earlier times, maintained a separate fleet of specially configured electric railway cars to provide a rapid transit service on designated routes that was distinct from its regular passenger operations.[citation needed]

[edit] Railway links with adjacent countries

[edit] Road

Greyhound Lines is the largest intercity bus company in the United States, with routes in all parts of the continental U.S.. There are also many smaller regional bus companies, many of which use the terminal and booking facilities provided by Greyhound. The bus is, in most cases, the least expensive way to travel long distances in the United States.

A traffic jam on a typical American freeway (the Santa Monica Freeway).
Enlarge
A traffic jam on a typical American freeway (the Santa Monica Freeway).

Highways:

total: 6,348,227 km
paved: 3,732,757 km (including 88,727 km of expressways)
unpaved: 2,615,470 km (1997 est.)

All highways are maintained by state governments, although they receive federal aid to build and maintain freeways signed as part of the nationwide Interstate highway network. A large number of expressways are actually government-operated toll roads in most East Coast and Midwest states. West Coast freeways are generally free to users (no toll charged per use), although since the 1990s there have been some small experiments with toll roads operated by private companies.

Further information: numbered highways in the United States

[edit] Water

Waterways: 41,009 km of navigable inland channels, exclusive of the Great Lakes.

Ports and harbors: Anacortes, Washington, Anchorage, Alaska, Baltimore, Maryland, Boston, Massachusetts, Charleston, South Carolina, Chicago, Illinois, Duluth, Minnesota, Hampton Roads, Honolulu, Hawaii, Houston, Texas, Jacksonville, Florida, Long Beach, California, Los Angeles, California, Miami, Florida, Mobile, Alabama, New Orleans, Louisiana, New York City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Port Canaveral, Florida, Portland, Oregon, Oakland, California, Savannah, Georgia, Seattle, Washington, Tacoma, Washington, Tampa, Florida, Toledo, Ohio, Valdez, Alaska

Merchant marine:
total: 386 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 11,634,608 GRT/15,574,117 DWT
ships by type: barge carrier 10, bulk 67, cargo 28, chemical tanker 14, combination bulk 2, container 84, liquified gas 10, multi-functional large load carrier 3, passenger 7, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 104, roll-on/roll-off 43, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 9 (1999 est.)

Most US exports and imports are on foreign ships. The Jones Act (sailor rights) bars foreign ships from US internal trade, thus creating this "Jones Act fleet".

Ferry service is available in many parts of the country, including the Great Lakes region, Washington state, and the New York City area. Alaska is served by long-distance ferry routes that connect it to the rest of the country, and connect remote areas not connected by roads.

[edit] Air

A group of American Airlines aircraft at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport. Traveling by air is the most popular means of travel in the United States over long distances.
Enlarge
A group of American Airlines aircraft at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport. Traveling by air is the most popular means of travel in the United States over long distances.

There is no single national flag airline. Aviation in the United States has been completely privatized. There is currently no direct government regulation of ticket pricing, although the federal government retains jurisdiction over aircraft safety, pilot training, and accident investigations (through the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board). Airports are usually constructed and operated by local governments (the main exceptions are federal military bases).

Further information: List of airlines#United_States

In terms of passengers, seventeen of the world's thirty busiest airports in 2004 were in the U.S., including the world's busiest, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. In terms of cargo, in the same year, twelve of the world's thirty busiest airports were in the U.S., including the world's busiest, Memphis International Airport. There are several major seaports in the United States; the three busiest are the Port of Los Angeles, California; the Port of Long Beach, California; and the Port of New York and New Jersey.

Airports: 14,893 (2005 est.) According to CIA

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 5,174
over 3,047 m: 180
2,438 to 3,047 m: 221
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1,310
914 to 1,523 m: 2,448
under 914 m: 1,015 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 9,398
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 155
914 to 1,523 m: 1,661
under 914 m: 7,574 (1999 est.)

Heliports: 118 (1999 est.)

[edit] Other

Pipelines:
petroleum products 276,000 km;
natural gas 331,000 km (1991)

[edit] Ownership

Roads accessible to the public are generally government owned and maintained, though there are some private highways. There are both public and private owners of the country's many passenger and freight rail systems, water ferries, and bus systems. Civilian airlines are all privately owned and financed. (With some exceptions, such as after the September 11, 2001 attacks.) Many airports are owned and operated by local governments, but all are regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration and subject to federal law. Transportation Security Administration provides security at airports.

[edit] Funding

Most roads are free to drive on in a privately purchased or rented automobile or in a hired taxicab, but there are also some toll roads and toll bridges. Most other forms of transportation charge a fee for use.

Government funding of transportation exists at many levels.

Federal funding for highway, rail, bus, water, air, and other forms of transportation is allocated by Congress for several years at a time. Though earmarks are often made (often criticized as pork barrel spending) for specific projects, the allocation of most federal dollars is controlled by Metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and state governments. Usually "matching" funds are required from local sources. All projects have a sponsoring agency that will receive the funding from the various federal and local sources, and be responsible for implementing the project directly or through contracts. Large projects require a Major Investment Study and a both a Draft and a Final Environmental Impact Review. A patchwork of federal laws and accounts govern the allocation of federal transportation dollars, most of which is reserved for capital projects, not operating expenses. Some roads are federally designated as part of the National Highway System and get preferential funding as a result, but outside of Washington D.C., are not owned by the federal government.

State governments are sovereign entities which use their powers of taxation both to match federal grants, and provide for local transportation needs. Different states have different systems for dividing responsibility for funding and maintaining road and transit networks between the state department of transportation, counties, municipalities, and other entities. Typically large cities are responsible for local roads, finances with block grants and local property taxes, and the state is responsible for major roads that receive state and federally designations. Many mass transit agencies are quasi-independent and subsidized branches of a state, county, or city government.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Transportation in North America

Antigua and Barbuda · Bahamas · Barbados · Belize · Canada · Costa Rica · Cuba · Dominica · Dominican Republic · El Salvador · Grenada · Guatemala · Haiti · Honduras · Jamaica · Mexico · Nicaragua · Panama · Saint Kitts and Nevis · Saint Lucia · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Trinidad and Tobago · United States

Dependencies and other territories
Anguilla · Aruba · Bermuda · British Virgin Islands · Cayman Islands · Greenland · Guadeloupe · Martinique · Montserrat · Navassa Island · Netherlands Antilles · Puerto Rico · Saint-Pierre and Miquelon · Turks and Caicos Islands · U.S. Virgin Islands

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../t/r/a/Transportation_in_the_United_States_1623.html"