1999 FHWA Annual Report - Productivity 10 of 16 Productivity Continuously improve the economic efficiency of the nation's transportation system to enhance America's position in the global economy. Transportation accounts for nearly 11 percent of our nation's gross domestic product. In our increasingly intermodal transportation network, highways are crucial in almost all freight movements, serving as connectors to water, rail, and air facilities. Approximately 70 percent of all freight is transported over our highways. Reduce delays on federal-aid highways.
Delays are costly.
In the Mobility section, we talked about travel time delays in urban areas. FHWA also monitors travel delays across the entire federal-aid highway system, which includes roadways that connect cities, suburbs, and rural areas. Unlike in urban areas, travel time delays through the entire system have dropped slightly over the past three years. The decrease in delays is due, in part, to efforts to help motorists traveling through work zones, toll plazas, and truck weigh and inspection stations. For example, we work with our partners to support the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse.