Since the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) in 2021, there has been significant growth in highway construction costs. Potential factors for cost escalations include supply chain disruptions, materials and inputs costs, labor market shortages, demand side increases, number of bidders on projects, state capacity and reliance on consultants, borrowing costs, regulatory costs, and higher quality projects.

In August 2025, the Eno Center issued a whitepaper entitled “Rising Construction Costs: Analyzing the Contributors to Cost Escalations and the Impact on Federal Transportation Infrastructure Investments,” exploring competing cost indices, long-term construction cost trends, contributing factors to cost escalations, the impact on federal infrastructure investments, and implications for future transportation funding.

This webinar will feature two speakers: Susan Howard, from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and Dr. Alison Premo Black, from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. The panelists will discuss how rising construction costs have impacted their members and how increased costs are influencing their advocacy efforts heading into surface transportation reauthorization.

Panelists:

Susan Howard is the Director of Policy and Government Relations at the American Association of State and Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO). At AASHTO, she serves as key liaison between state transportation departments, Congress, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other national organizations. She has previously served as AASHTO’s Program Director for Transportation Finance and Program Manager for Freight. She has also previously worked as the Director of Government Relations for the National Association of Development Organizations, as the Federal Programs Coordinator for the North Carolina Department of Transportation, and as a Legislative Assistant on Capitol Hill.

Dr. Alison Premo Black is the Senior Vice President & Chief Economist at the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). At ARTBA, she has led the development of over 100 studies on national and state transportation funding and investment patterns. She additionally oversees ARTBA’s membership development and relations and manages the Transportation Investment Advocacy Center program. Before joining ARBTA in 2000, Black worked as a researcher with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea and with the Organization of American States. She is regularly featured as an industry expert in national and local media and publications.

Moderator:

Grace Truslow, Policy Analyst, Eno Center for Transportation