Highway & Street Construction Spending Over Time

Investment in America’s roadways skyrocketed in recent years

Source: Construction Coverage analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data | Image Credit: Construction Coverage

The passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act came at a critical time. After adjusting for inflation, highway and street construction spending had largely stagnated for much of the previous decade. From 2010 to 2021, real spending hovered around $120 billion annually with little sustained growth—despite persistent infrastructure needs across the country.

The new federal investment helped reverse that trend. In constant 2026 dollars, annual spending surged from about $120 billion in mid-2022 to averaging nearly $150 billion through 2025 and into early 2026, providing renewed capacity to address long-standing maintenance backlogs and advance long-term transportation projects.

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U.S. States With the Worst Roads
U.S. States With the Worst Roads
The U.S. has dramatically increased infrastructure spending since the bipartisan infrastructure law passed in 2021—but many Americans are still driving on deteriorating roads. A new analysis from Construction Coverage finds that highway and street construction spending surged roughly 25% in recent years, reaching nearly $150 billion annually—yet more than 1 in 8 major U.S. roads are still classified as being in poor condition nationwide. The report ranks every state based on the share of major roads in poor condition using the latest federal roadway data and reveals a stark regional divide in infrastructure quality. 1 min