Tag: highways: Page 7

Roadbuilding

GOP senators predict Highway Trust Fund solution

Senators John Boozman (R-Ark.) and James Inhofe (R-Okla.) have predicted a long-term solution to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF). They predict lawmakers will come up with an idea to fund U.S. transportation projects beyond the gas tax. “Coming up between now and May, you’ll see a new funding mechanism that is going to change how […]

September 2, 2014

Roadbuilding

Kansas to receive $1.2 billion for improvements

The Kansas Department of Transportation has announced a projected $1.2 billion improvement program for highways, bridge replacement and local projects throughout the state. The funds will create several short- and long-term highway and bridge construction jobs, with work expected to begin throughout 2015 and 2016. The improvements are a continuing part of the 10-year T-Works […]

August 25, 2014

Roadbuilding

Deficient roads cost Alabama drivers $3.1 billion statewide

Deficient, congested and unsafe roadways cost Alabama drivers as much as $1,562 annually, and a total of $3.1 billion statewide, according to a new TRIP report. Roads and bridges in need of improvement are causing higher vehicle operating costs, more traffic crashes and congestion-related delays. The Trip report points out that 15 percent of Alabama’s […]

August 20, 2014

Roadbuilding

Bursting bubble of big tobacco financing gives glimpse of road building’s future without a gas tax increase

Last week I wrote about how states that engage in public-private partnerships (P3s) and other types of debt and bond financing would create short term gains and long term disaster for the road building industry. This weekend I read an article on ProPublica, an independent journalism site, that shows how the exact same thing—only using tobacco money—is […]

August 13, 2014

Business

Bursting bubble of big tobacco financing gives glimpse of road building’s future without a gas tax increase

Last week I wrote about how states that engage in public-private partnerships (P3s) and other types of debt and bond financing would create short term gains and long term disaster for the road building industry. This weekend I read an article on ProPublica, an independent journalism site, that shows how the exact same thing—only using […]

August 12, 2014

Roadbuilding

Poll: Americans want good roads & bridges, disagree on how

The majority of Americans understand the importance of good highways and bridges, and they understand the benefits of good transportation outweigh the cost to taxpayers. However, not many Americans can agree on how to pay for new roads and repairs. According to a new Associated Press-GfK poll six in 10 people surveyed say the benefits of […]

August 7, 2014

Roadbuilding

IDOT revises highway improvement program

Earlier in the year the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Fiscal Year 2015 Highway Improvement Program was going to provide $1.839 billion of its $8.609 billion for highways in the FY 2015-2020 Proposed Multi-Modal Transportation Improvement Program. That has since changed. This spring the General Assembly has passed an additional $1 billion of bond funding for […]

August 5, 2014

Roadbuilding

The state with the best roads in the country is…

According to a report from the Washington Post, the state with the best roads in the country is …Florida! The report says only four percent of Florida’s 121,000+ miles road are in need of work. That’s way below the nation’s average of 14 percent. And since the Sunshine State has such good roads, local drivers save […]

July 28, 2014

Business

Surveys find Americans willing to support 10-cent fuel tax increase to maintain roads

Ever wonder why some research studies show substantial public support for increased fuel taxes and other studies show the opposite? It turns out, it’s all in how you ask the question. Exhaustive proof of that is provided in the Mineta Transportation Institute’s fourth annual survey of public opinion about paying additional taxes to support transportation […]

August 1, 2013

Roadbuilding

When the Cold Storms Come

Winter road maintenance gets ready for the toughest season.

June 5, 2013

Business

U.S. infrastructure spending has plummeted in last 5 years

According to a report from our sister site Better Roads, infrastructure spending in the U.S. has plummeted in the last five years. Citing data that began in 2002, Better Roads reports that highway and road construction spending began a major decline in 2009. It should come to no surprise that the culprit is the country’s […]

May 30, 2013

Business

Are Americans “not willing to pay” for longer-lasting roads?

Over at our sister site Better Roads, columnist Kirk Landers has put together a pretty interesting, and brutally honest, estimation of the glaring discrepancy between Americans’ calls for quality, longer-lasting roads and their willingness to pay for them. You see, it’s pothole season, the time of year when road crews all over the nation get […]

May 13, 2013