It’s “I told you so” time!
A recent Washington Post report noted that bridges in Washington, D.C., are falling apart faster than they can be repaired and there just isn’t the money to repair them.
This isn’t a news flash to the highway and bridge construction industry – i.e. our engineer readers and highway contractors. That’s why our industry has been so staunch in its recommendation for a multi-year, well-funded highway bill. That’s why 12 extensions of the surface transportation bill SAFETEA-LU were unacceptable. That’s why the passage in July of the latest surface transportation bill, MAP-21, gave everyone a few seconds to breathe.
It’s not “just another extension,” according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), but we all know it’s time to start figuring out the next transportation bill – even though this one was just passed and implemented. The legislation, which expires on Sept. 30, 2014, will at least keep the nation moving, but the problem of an insolvent Highway Trust Fund (HTF) still looms once MAP-21 expires.
Are we going to keep letting our nation’s highways and bridges crumble?
In the “Better Roads 2012 Annual Bridge Inventory,” the Washington, D.C., Department of Transportation (DDOT) pointed out that “a great emphasis on preventive maintenance and improved project delivery from planning to construction” is needed.”
It was noted that there should be more attention paid to preventive maintenance, esthetics, quality control and quality assurance – and by directing more funding toward preventive maintenance, it would extend the life of D.C. bridges and free funding for other projects.
