Posted on 02/13/2013 8:16:30 PM PST by 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 dont 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 were 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 Americas roads a D-
(Excerpt) Read more at thetruthaboutcars.com ...
I must be missing something. Aren’t fuel surcharges and gas taxes supposed to cover road maintainence?
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.
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.
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.
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?
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
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?
I hope google drive cripples these politicians.
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.
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.
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