Analyzation of Transportation Spending for Infrastructure Capital Improvements versus Infrastructure Maintenance for Highways and Bridges: Which is More Advantageous?

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Collection number: AQ-2026-021

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Donovan, Allison Daniels. "Reading Difficulties in Children with ADHD and Dyslexia: The Effectiveness of Balance Activities," Ed.D. Diss., Valdosta State University, 2026. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10428/7699 | State departments of transportation face increasing pressure to balance capital expansion with the preservation of aging infrastructure amid constrained funding. This study examined how capital improvement and maintenance programs are defined, funded, and prioritized within three states’ Departments of Transportation, and whether systematic relationships existed between each state’s investment strategies. Using a qualitative, cross-state case study approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with transportation professionals in California, Texas, and Georgia, states that represent diverse operating structures, funding arrangements, and planning perspectives. The findings revealed a consistent institutional distinction across all three states between capital improvement and maintenance programs. Participants discussed definitional boundaries between capital and maintenance programs, funding structures, planning horizons, programming stability, flexibility of funds, project delivery speed, and roles of Districts/MPO/Central Offices. Federal funding introduced significant procedural and eligibility constraints, while state funding provided greater adaptability. Despite differences in planning horizons and revenue structures, all three states demonstrated a preservation-first orientation. The conclusions indicate that capital and maintenance programs are not competing investment categories but have a tiered relationship, where maintenance and rehabilitation form the foundation of transportation system performance, and capital expansion functions as a targeted supplement. The results offer practical applications and implications for departmental programming, funding policy, and long-range planning, and a basis for future research examining preservation-first investment approaches that strategically maximize public value for capital investments.