United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2001-07-20 monographic deposited born digital 66 p. GA 1.13:GAO-01-835 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-835 P0b002ee18038b5a1 f:d01835 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-835 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-835 GAO-01-835 Mass transit funding Public roads or highways Budget outlays Federal property management Comparative analysis Private sector practices Future budget projections Water supply management Wastewater management Public works Land management Appalachian Highway System Drinking Water State Revolving Fund FTA Transit Economic Requirements Model Other Written Product A01429 The federal government has spent an average of $149 billion (in constant 1998 dollars) annually since the late 1980s on the nation's infrastructure. A sound public infrastructure plays a vital role in encouraging a more productive and competitive national economy and meeting public demands for safety, health, and improved quality of life. The federal government plays a prominent role in identifying the nation's infrastructure investment needs. Little, however, is known about the comparability and reasonableness of individual agencies' estimates for infrastructure needs. This report discusses information on infrastructure investment or "needs" estimates compiled by seven agencies--the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Federal Transit Administration (FTA), General Services Administration (GSA), and the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). GAO focuses on the following infrastructure areas--water resources (inland and deep draft navigation, flood control, and shore protection), hydropower, water supply, wastewater treatment, airports, highways, mass transit, and public buildings. For these seven agencies and specified types of public infrastructure, GAO reviews (1) the agencies' estimates for infrastructure investment and how the estimates compare in terms of how they are developed and used and (2) the extent to which the agencies' procedures for developing the estimates embody practices of leading government and private-sector organizations. GAO found that the estimates ranged from GSA's calculation of $4.58 billion (in current dollars) over one to five years to repair public buildings to FHWA's estimate of $83.4 billion (in constant 1997 dollars) per year over 20 years to improve highways. The estimates prepared by the Army Corps (for water resources and hydropower) and GSA are for federal spending; the other estimates are for spending from federal, state, and local sources. Each of the seven agencies developed their investment estimate using data from localities, states, or agency regional offices. The estimates, however, were developed using different analytical procedures. The investment estimates cannot be easily compared or simply "added up" to produce a national estimate of infrastructure investment needs because of differences in the methods used, time periods covered, and spending sources. Each of the seven agencies has procedures for developing infrastructure investment estimates that reflect eight practices used by leading government and private sector organizations. No agency has procedures for all eight leading practices. The Army Corps has the highest conformance to the leading practices, with procedures that reflect six of the eight practices. Among the agencies, FHWA and FTA come closest to reflecting an important leading practice--conducting comprehensive assessments of the investments needed to meet outcomes by focusing on the amounts needed to maintain or improve the condition and performance of highways and transit systems. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-835/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-835.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-835/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-835.pdf GAO-01-835 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-835 Other Written Product GAO-01-835; U.S. Infrastructure: Agencies' Approaches to Developing Investment Estimates Vary; Mass transit funding Public roads or highways Budget outlays Federal property management Comparative analysis Private sector practices Future budget projections Water supply management Wastewater management Public works Land management Appalachian Highway System Drinking Water State Revolving Fund FTA Transit Economic Requirements Model