Tag: road building: Page 37

Business

Road builders, construction groups oppose bill to lower gas tax, surrender federal highway authority to states

Construction groups and transportation interests have written Congress to express opposition to the so-called “devolution” of the federal highway program and the proposed Transportation Empowerment Act. The bill, introduced in the House and Senate last fall, transfers almost all authority over federal highway and transit programs to the states over a five-year period. It would […]

September 18, 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

Business

Toll roads, P3s and creative financing will bring short-term gain, long-term disaster for the road building industry

For the last half-century gas and diesel taxes collected at the pump have been the primary source of funding for almost all our highway infrastructure. But Congress hasn’t  increased the gas tax or adjusted it for inflation since 1992. Anti-tax advocates claim this as a victory, but it’s not. With the highway trust fund running […]

August 1, 2014

Business

Congressional showdown ends with Senate passing House’s $10.8 billion highway funding patch

The Senate on Thursday passed a 10-month funding bill that will prevent the Highway Trust Fund from going broke until the end of May. The bill was first passed by the House earlier this month, and is now just a presidential signature away from becoming law. The bill’s clearance in Congress comes after a showdown […]

August 1, 2014

Business

Senate passes highway bill with reduced funding; sends vote back to House with pressure for long-term solution

On Tuesday the Senate voted to pass a bill that would stave off the looming insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) after making key changes to the legislation that will send it right back to the House for another vote. The HTF is the primary source of federal funding for road construction and repairs. The […]

July 30, 2014

Safety

3 tips for staying safe inside road construction work zones

Although many types of construction work can be considered hazardous, few tasks are more dangerous than those conducted in road construction work zones. A number of construction site hazards can be mitigated through effective control measures, but the unpredictability of other drivers—particularly those who are impatient or inattentive – puts work zone crews at a […]

July 24, 2014

Business

White House, transportation leaders push Congress to find a long-term highway funding solution sooner rather than later

The White House, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and several industry associations are urging Congress to find a highway funding solution before the primary source of money, the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), becomes insolvent. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) projects that insolvency to occur by the end of August. White House press secretary Josh Earnest […]

July 9, 2014

Business

Senate committee approves 6-year highway bill but funding questions remain

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee unanimously approved a six-year surface transportation reauthorization bill Thursday morning. Top committee members Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), committee chairman; David Vitter (R-La.), committee ranking member; Tom Carper (D-Del.), chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure; and John Barrasso (R-Wy.), subcommittee ranking member unveiled the bill, known as the MAP-21 Reauthorization […]

May 19, 2014

Safety

Construction blamed for rise of road rage incidents near Minneapolis

Police near Minneapolis say that road construction in the city is causing 10 to 15 locations each day to back up with traffic. And because of the congestion, they say incidents of road rage have increased to at least once a month. Lakeville, Minnesota Police Chief Jeff Long told CBS Minnesota, “There’s no place to […]

May 15, 2014

Business

Senate committee unveils text of highway reauthorization bill

The Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee on Monday night revealed the text of its surface transportation reauthorization bill. Dubbed the MAP-21 Reauthorization Act, the six-year bill would reauthorize surface transportation projects through fiscal year 2020 and is indexed for inflation. Highlights outlined in the bill’s summary include: Six years of fully-funded highway programs Greater transparency of Highway […]

May 13, 2014

Business

Work zone crash on I-69 in Indiana kills 2 construction workers

Two highway construction workers died Friday morning in a work zone crash on Interstate 69 in Fishers, Indiana, WANE TV reports. According to the report, the workers were cleaning up their work zone in a southbound lane when the driver of a pickup truck struck the two men. The workers were employed by Rieth-Riley Construction—not the Indiana […]

May 12, 2014

Business

DOT Chief Foxx sends long-term highway bill to Congress

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced on Tuesday that Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx sent a long-term highway bill to Congress. The bill, dubbed the GROW AMERICA Act, is based on President Barack Obama’s 4-year, $302 billion transportation reauthorization proposal. Foxx said the bill aims to create jobs while offering a solution to fix the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) before it runs out of money this […]

April 30, 2014