Roadways are everywhere — but how much do they cost?
Here in the United States, we use roads so frequently that we often take them for granted — it can almost seem like they simply emerge from the natural landscape. But, no, somebody has to build the roads, and then maintain them for the duration of their life cycle.
And when you consider the 4.09 million miles of roadway in the U.S. (8.61 million lane-miles when accounting for highway travel), it’s a lot of upkeep. And, as it turns out, it doesn’t come cheap, either. So I’m going to run into a little bit of detail as to what it actually takes to keep America’s thoroughfares up and running.
Pavement Payment
The real question is: how much does it cost to build a mile of road? As it turns out, there’s no easy, straightforward answer. The realities of road building have much to do with a number of variables: location, terrain, type of construction, number of lanes, lane width, surface durability, and the number of bridges, to name a few, according to the American Road and Transportation Builders Association.
But, in general, it costs much more to build an entirely new road than to rehabilitate or add new lanes to an existing byway. Also, it generally costs more to build roads in urban settings than in rural areas. And as you might expect, it costs more to build in mountainous areas than on stable, flat land.
The Soft Figures
Nonetheless, here are the daunting numbers: constructing a two-lane, undivided road in a rural locale will set you back somewhere between $2 and $3 million per mile — in urban areas, that number jumps to between $3 and $5 million. In a rural area, you can essentially build a road wherever you please (local zoning and property laws abiding), but in a city, you have to avoid the surrounding firmament and infrastructure and comply with strict construction codes.
And remember, these are cost models — actual expenses can certainly rise far beyond these estimates.
And if you want wider roads, the costs understandably go up: for the production of a 4-lane highway, the cost per mile will run between $4 and $6 million in rural or suburban areas, and between $8 to $10 million in urban areas. For a 6 lane interstate highway, you’re looking at $7 million for a rural mile of road, and $11 million-plus in an urban locale.
Again consider the 4.09 million miles of navigable roadway, and you can start to paint a picture of the truly massive expenditures at hand.
The Means to Maintain
As I mentioned, it’s much less expensive to maintain existing roadways. To mill and resurface a 4-lane road, it costs an average of $1.25 million per mile. Then, if you want to expand said road from four lanes to six, you can expect to pay roughly $4 million.
With road conditions at all-time lows, and with the National Highway Trust Fund dwindling in recent years — indeed, to a level that’s inadequate to fulfill existing approved projects — many localities are searching for alternate and innovative ways to keep roads in good condition while staying on budget.
Companies like Midwest Industrial Supply, Inc. are providing an answer. By using proprietary technologies, Midwest is revolutionizing the way we think about roads. Their synthetic, environmentally friendly, and effective products and solutions have offered an economical and timely alternative to our long-standing and inefficient tradition of paved roads. With new, personally-tailored, and affordable solutions, the costs of road maintenance no longer have to become astronomical.
(Image credit: Michael Thesis/flickr)
Frank is the sales unit manager of Midwest's road construction and natural paving markets.
- Home
- Program Management
- Estimates
- Documents and Publications
- Cost Per Mile Models
Cost Per Mile Models for Long Range Estimating
Disclaimer: These models are generic in nature, and not based on actual construction projects. They are for reference purposes only, and are not intended to predict or support future estimates.
Information: For guidance on estimating bridge costs, see Vol. 1 Chapter 9 of the Structures Manual.
New Construction Undivided 2 Lane Rural Road with 5' Paved Shoulders: R01 | $2,546,993.64 | Report |
New Construction Undivided 3 Lane Rural Road with 5' Paved Shoulders, Center Turn Lane: R02 | $3,091,693.93 | Report |
New Construction Undivided 4 Lane Rural Road with 5' Paved Shoulders: R03 | $3,649,480.40 | Report |
New Construction Divided 4 Lane Rural Road with 2' Paved Shoulders Inside and 5' Paved Shoulders Outside: R04 | $5,088,824.60 | Report |
New Construction Divided 4 Lane Rural Interstate with Paved Shoulders 10' Outside and 4' Inside: R05 | $6,433,556.63 | Report |
New Construction Undivided 5 Lane Rural Road with 5' Paved Shoulders, Center Turn Lane: R06 | $4,327,381.81 | Report |
New Construction Divided 6 Lane Rural Road with 5' Paved Shoulders Inside and Out: R07 | $6,160,611.11 | Report |
New Construction Divided 6 Lane Rural Interstate with 10' Paved Shoulders Inside and Out: R08 | $7,529,958.11 | Report |
New Construction Extra Cost for 1 Single Additional Lane on Rural Arterial: R09 | $567,700.52 | Report |
New Construction Extra Cost for 1 Single Additional Lane on a Rural Interstate: R10 | $667,532.16 | Report |
Mill and Resurface 2 Lane Rural Road with 5' Paved Shoulders: R11 | $478,977.22 | Report |
Mill and Resurface 3 Lane Rural Road with 5' Paved Shoulders and Center Turn Lane: R12 | $668,889.65 | Report |
Mill and Resurface 4 Lane Rural Road with 5' Paved Shoulders: R13 | $1,034,518.59 | Report |
Mill and Resurface 4 Lane Divided Rural Arterial with 5' Outside Shoulders and 2' Inside: R14 | $1,088,878.27 | Report |
Mill and Resurface 4 Lane Divided Rural Interstate with Paved Shoulders 10' Outside and 4' Inside: R15 | $1,284,941.77 | Report |
Mill and Resurface 5 Lane Rural Road with 5' Paved Shoulders and Center Turn Lane: R16 | $1,245,664.51 | Report |
Mill and Resurface 6 Lane Divided Rural Arterial with 5' Paved Shoulders Inside and Out: R17 | $1,551,489.10 | Report |
Mill and Resurface 6 Lane Divided Rural Interstate with 10' Paved Shoulders Inside and Out: R18 | $1,829,087.24 | Report |
Mill and Resurface 1 Additional Lane Rural Interstate: R19 | $294,208.37 | Report |
Mill and Resurface 1 Additional Lane Rural Arterial: R20 | $240,698.62 | Report |
Widen Existing 2 Lane Arterial to 4 Lanes Undivided; Add 1 Lane to Each Side; 5' Paved Shoulders: R21 | $2,815,021.83 | Report |
Widen Existing 2 Lane Arterial to 4 Lane Divided; Resurface Existing 2 Lanes; 5' Paved Shoulders Inside and Out: R22 | $3,264,515.17 | Report |
Widen Existing 4 Lane Divided Arterial to 6 Lane Divided; Resurface Existing 4 Lanes; 5' Paved Shoulders Inside and Out: R23 | $3,133,423.67 | Report |
Widen 4 Lane Interstate to 6 Lanes (In Median); Mill and Resurface Existing; 10' Paved Shoulders Inside and Out: R24 | $4,695,688.41 | Report |
Widen 4 Lane Interstate to 6 Lanes (Outside); Mill and Resurface Existing; 10' Shoulders Outside; Widen Existing 4' Inside Shoulders to 10': R25 | $4,276,327.16 | Report |
Widen Existing 6 Lane Divided Arterial to 8 Lane Divided; Resurface Existing 6 Lanes; 5' Paved Shoulders Inside and Out: R26 | $3,434,380.44 | Report |
Widen 6 Lane Interstate to 8 Lanes (in Median); Mill and Resurface Existing; 10' Paved Shoulders Inside and Out: R27 | $5,173,763.91 | Report |
Widen Divided Rural 4-Lane to Allow for Left Turn Lane, 300': R28 | $172,134.71 | Report |
Widen Divided Rural 4-Lane for Right Turn Lane, 300': R29 | $169,383.18 | Report |
New Construction 2 Lane Undivided Urban Arterial with 4' Bike Lanes: U01 | $4,285,161.73 | Report |
New Construction 3 Lane Undivided Urban Arterial with Center Lane and 4' Bike Lanes: U02 | $4,838,900.28 | Report |
New Construction Undivided Urban Arterial with 4' Bike Lanes: U03 | $5,263,198.95 | Report |
New Construction 4 Lane Urban Road with 22' Median and 4' Bike Lanes: U05 | $8,203,526.28 | Report |
New Construction 4 Lane Divided Urban Interstate, Closed 22' Median with Barrier Wall, 10' Shoulders Inside and Out: U06 | $13,214,021.59 | Report |
New Construction 5 Lane Undivided Urban Arterial with Center Turn Lane and 4' Bike Lanes: U07 | $6,106,970.11 | Report |
New Construction 6 Lane Urban Road with 22' Median and 4' Bike Lanes: U08 | $9,009,892.98 | Report |
New Construction 6 Lane Divided Urban Interstate with 22' Closed Median with Barrier Wall, 10' Shoulders Inside and Out: U09 | $14,213,805.09 | Report |
New Construction Extra Cost for Additional Lane on Urban Arterial: U10 | $1,431,542.69 | Report |
New Construction Extra Cost for Additional Lane on Urban Interstate: U11 | $711,192.49 | Report |
Mill and Resurface 2 Lane Urban Road with 4' Bike Lanes: U12 | $553,956.74 | Report |
Mill and Resurface 3 Lane Urban Road with Center Turn Lane and 4' Bike Lanes: U13 | $726,874.96 | Report |
Mill and Resurface 4 Lane Undivided Urban Roadway with 4' Bike Lanes: U14 | $993,520.52 | Report |
Mill and Resurface 4 Lane Divided Urban Roadway with 4' Bike Lanes: U15 | $1,168,960.70 | Report |
Mill and Resurface 5 Lane Urban Roadway with Center Turn Lane and 4' Bike Lanes: U16 | $1,167,008.17 | Report |
Mill and Resurface 6 Lane Divided Urban Arterial with 4' Bike Lanes: U17 | $1,663,983.80 | Report |
Mill and Resurface 1 Additional Lane Urban Arterial: U18 | $277,126.24 | Report |
Add 2 Lanes to Existing 2 Lane Undivided Arterial (1 Lane Each Side), with 4' Bike Lanes: U19 | $4,884,812.98 | Report |
Widen 2 Lane Urban Arterial to 4 Lane Divided with 22' Median, 4' Bike Lanes: U20 | $5,480,586.42 | Report |
Add 2 Lanes to Existing 3 Lane Undivided Arterial (1 Lane Each Side with Center Turn Lane and 4' Bike Lanes: U21 | $5,038,671.14 | Report |
Widen 4 Lane Urban Divided Arterial to 6 Lane Urban Divided with 22' Median and 4' Bike Lanes: U22 | $4,954,841.91 | Report |
Widen 4 Lane Urban Interstate with Closed Median to 6 Lanes (Outside), Mill and Resurface Existing, 10' Shoulders Outside: U23 | $9,679,599.76 | Report |
Widen 6 Lane Urban Divided Arterial to 8 Lane Urban Divided with 4' Bike Lanes: U24 | $6,004,966.83 | Report |
Widen 6 Lane Urban Interstate with Closed Median to 8 Lanes (Outside); Mill and Resurface Existing; 10' Shoulders Outside: U25 | $10,361,654.99 | Report |
New Construction Suburban 4 Lane with Paved Shoulders Outside and Curb Median: S01 | $5,022,624.57 | Report |
Widen Existing Rural Facility to the Inside with Addition of Closed Drainage System and Median Barrier Wall: S02 | $3,423,890.81 | Report |
Widen 4 Lane Suburban Roadway with 6.5' Paved Shoulder and Convert to Curb and Gutter Out; Stripe for Bike Lane: S03 | $2,942,935.76 | Report |
Add 2 Lanes with Curb and Gutter Out to Existing 4 Lane Urban or Suburban Roadway with Curb and Gutter Out: S04 | $3,046,554.11 | Report |
Two Directional, 12' Shared Use Path: O01 | $344,768.94 | Report |
Rails to Trails project (12' width): O02 | $324,466.71 | Report |
Sidewalk construction; 5' one side, 4 inch depth: O03 | $180,232.85 | Report |
Mid-Block Crossing: O05 | $152,764.67 | Report |