Posted on 06/17/2008 7:16:25 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Soaring gas prices at the pump means more drivers are going to have a bumpier ride no matter where they go because economic pressure is forcing states to cut back on repaving projects.
Americans drove fewer vehicle miles this year than last year, which means that states have less state and federal gasoline excise tax money to pay for the soaring cost of asphalt to repave roads.
Asphalt is made from a combination of rocks and sand mixed with liquid asphalt, made of crude oil, to hold it all together. Soaring oil prices have caused asphalt prices to climb at a time when gasoline price hikes have caused more people to drive less.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Americans drove 11 billion fewer vehicle miles in March of this year compared to March of last year, the latest figures available. Officials said in a statement that driving pattern is part of an ongoing trend that began last November.
Drops in gas tax revenue have had a huge impact in North Carolina where state Department of Transportation officials say they plan to cut road repaving by 20 percent there this year because of increases in the price of oil-based asphalt.
But in New Hampshire the cuts are even deeper. State officials there say that with asphalt prices expected to hit $500 they will repave 30 percent fewer miles of state highways this year than they had originally planned.
"If we doubled the amount we spend on paving, we could pave the amount we did in 2000," Bill Boynton, spokesman for the New Hampshire State Department of Transportation, told The Eagle Tribune. "This is part of what made our 10-year plan a 35-year plan."
(Excerpt) Read more at allheadlinenews.com ...
Hard pen asphalt blew by $500 about a month ago. Try $600.
Our state taxes on the dollar....Two years ago...BY JUNE...they had already raked in what they had anticipated for the whole year. We’re also into stripping and reusing the old asphalt.
/sarc
The gift from Washington, DC that just keeps on giving....our great fine ENERGY POLICY that protects America and its interests.
Gee, more congressional investigations, I can’t wait...
What state is that?
Another reason to talk my wife into picking up a used SUV.
Message #2 -- The rubes are driving less. Our tax revenue is diminishing. Let's push through additional taxes -- we've got to refill our coffers. We can think of some excuse, like ... ummm ... drive less, conserve gas, global warming, blah, blah, blah
Don't know where Sacajaweau is, but Illinois does this. However, it is not likely that much if any of that money here will go towards roads. I think they put it in the general budget so that our governer can steal it for his favorite projects.
I think asphalt is a scam. Water seeps into cracks, and during cold Cleveland winters, the asphalt blows out into a pot hole. They fix the pothole by makin’ it into a bump, which just blows out again. The snowplowers for the cities and counties love it though. No seams. So easier on the plows, and smoother ride for the plowers. Gimme concrete! Last about 20 times longer.
Here’s Barry’s solution:
Raise taxes on gas to get the revenue needed to pave roads.
Why buy used? By Christmas, the dealerships will be having a two-for-one sale on Hummers.
Good ole NY.
Which is exactly why you'll never see concrete used in Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles . . .
Where will the democrat mayors get jobs for all their illigitimate children if not on the road crews?
there seems to be a little of that here in Tennessee. On the other hand, Ohio (despite confiscatory taxes) couldn't seem to maintain roads when asphalt was relatively cheap. I don't expect that to change in a positive way any time soon.
With fewer vehicle-miles, maintenance of the road should be reduced. This would not apply in frost areas since those surfaces will degrade on their own.
Ah but the big rigs still need to rumble down the road to restock the local stores. What do you think does more damage to a road, your 4,000 pound car, or a fully loaded 80,000 pound semi??? Most trucks have 12,000 pounds on the front axle, 34,000 on the rear set of truck axles, and 34,000 on the trailer axles.
And when the article mentions a price of $500 for macadam/asphalt, per what?
Are there any states or municipalities that are notable for road building/repair at lower cost?
Specifiable cost reduction should be a prominent part of all Republican/Conservative campaigns, in all aspects of public expenditure, without being anti-union.
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