Rotten Roads Ahead: U.S. Infrastructure Is Falling Apart

The Truth About Cars ^ | 2-13-2013 | Bertel Schmitt

[ExxonPatrolUs]

The U.S. transportation system is in danger of falling apart, and will take down the economy with it, Bill Shuster, chairman of the House of Representatives Transportation Committee, said today while Reuters was keeping notes:

“If we don’t deal with this issue at some point, as I said, we will reach a tipping point and the transportation system may not recover and we will fall behind the rest of the world.”

According to Shuster, the U.S. transportation system has already “gone from being one of the top three, four (or) five systems in the world to now we’re 23 or 24, so we need to act.”

A recent study from the American Society of Civil Engineers estimated the United States needs to spend $2.75 trillion to maintain and improve its infrastructure by 2020.

The ASCE gave America’s roads a D-

[Artie]

I must be missing something. Aren’t fuel surcharges and gas taxes supposed to cover road maintainence?

[taildragger]

Here’s one factoid about that: One of Obama’s first acts as President in early 2009 was to put about 280 billion dollars of an 800 billion dollar fund designated for “stimulus” into state public union pension funds. I’d be surprised if he found something better to do with rest of that money.

Harold, Wow, how did that get under my radar? Gotta link?

FWIW, I have a friend that got hired by FEMA for NJ-Mega-Storm-Sandy. As an out of Stater brought in under temporary contract, he was horrified going under bridges and seeing the roads, i.e. as they ( especially the bridges ) are crumbling. I had to tell them, what did you expect, highly unionized blue State that probably squabbled more about contracts and pensions with tax money rather than plowing those dollars back into rebuilding said roads and bridges.

[cripplecreek]

yeah but you know why they are doung that, they/are wasting money on useless crap to allow’existing road infrastructure to go to hell. then they won’t fix all of it and let certain roads go away, per agenda 21 goals.

Actually there are a good many roads that don't need to be maintained to the level they are. 20 or 30 years ago all the dirt roads around my hometown were paved because trucks building oil infrastructure were tearing them up. Today the heavy trucks are gone and those roads are still maintained as paved roads that only see 10 or 15 cars per day. There's just no real justification for the expense.

[shotgun]

I was raised in Vancouver, USA, in the 60’s thru the 70’s and the I-5 bridge needed to be replaced back then. If memory serves me correctly the entire I-205 corridor from south of Portland to north of Vancouver cost less than $100 million including the bridge.

My understanding about the new bridge is that the Feds are wanting to include light rail facilities on it even though there is no light rail service to Vancouver. And the last time I was down there the Portland light rail service isn’t even close to Hayden island.

[shotgun]

Most state and federal gas taxes are earmarked for maintenance and construction of state highways and interstate freeways. What does make it down to the cities and counties can only be used for classified roadways between major arterials down to minor collectors. Non classified roads are not eligible for these funds and must be paid for strictly with local dollars.

[shotgun]

Don’t forget that once that $800 billion stimulus was placed in the budget it has remained there every since. It is the primary reason for most of the new trillion dollar deficits in each budget since then.

Of that $80 billion was set aside for the infamous shovel ready projects. Funny thing about that is the Feds only allocated that once. So the Feds budget about $250 billion for transport called MAP 21 but it doesn’t include any of that additional $80 billion. So what has that money been spent on for the last 4 years?

[goodnesswins]

YEP....they want light rail....not sure how close OR Lt rail is to Hayden now...(I live farther south, and stay out of Portland if possible). This legislative session is going to kill us...it’s all DEMS in power....aagghh

[longtermmemmory]

how many of these roads went to patronage cronys?

how many highways were set up with cronys knowing their commercial properties would be next to off/on ramps?

[longtermmemmory]

I hope google drive cripples these politicians.

[longtermmemmory]

has anyone seen how EMPTY passenger trains are outside the beltway?

The only ones who want passenger trains are those going to NYC or DC.

[haroldeveryman]

Sorry, no link. It’s from an article that Mort Zuckerman (no admirer of Obama) wrote in the the op-ed page of the Wall St Journal early in Obama’s first term.