Asphalt Shortage Delays Road Maintenance Nationwide

AP ^ | November 09, 2008

[Panzerlied]

Expect a bumpier drive. An asphalt shortage is delaying road maintenance projects in communities nationwide. Asphalt is becoming scarce as U.S. refiners overhaul their equipment to maximize output of highly profitable fuels such as diesel and gasoline, using inexpensive — and hard to process — crude oil.

To make things worse, refiners are also cutting back on the production of a petrochemical that many states mix into asphalt to make roads more durable.

Dozens of road repairs were delayed last summer and municipalities around the country may face another shortfall next summer. Road-maintenance projects that have gone forward cost significantly more as the price of asphalt nearly tripled over the past year.

The dearth of asphalt compounds the challenges states, counties and cities already face in fixing bridges, highways, local streets and other critical infrastructure at a time when budgets are squeezed by falling income, sales and real-estate tax revenues — not to mention higher costs for fuel, steel and other raw materials.

[Panzerlied]

Who is John Galt?

[Izzy Dunne]

So let's get those college students MOVING, already!

It's national Service time, boys and girls!

[Son House]

But the Democrats promised more jobs if wealth confiscation could be spent on infrastructure jobs like roads and bridges, now we won’t have all that work that was going to make a miraculous growing economy with a broad tax base(/sarcasm on the broad tax base, government would constrict it with the Democrat ‘infrastructure only’ plan)

[17th Miss Regt]

Well, now. If you obstruct the building of any new petrochemical plants anywhere for 30 years in order to save little furry animals, you end up forcing the oil companies to make some hard choices about what to produce. Since thay are driven by profits they will make choices like "asphalt = low profit, fuels = higher profit, so let's make fuel instead of asphalt". The limited capital is being used to generate the most profit for the shareholders. The road maintenance programs suffer as a result.

But the little furry animals are safe.

[Izzy Dunne]

Asphalt is becoming scarce as U.S. refiners overhaul their equipment to maximize output of highly profitable fuels such as diesel and gasoline, using inexpensive — and hard to process — crude oil.

Two bits says that O'bama reads that and sees something wrong.

[repubpub]

And to think once “The Chosen One” and his minions take complete control, this is going to be the least of our problems. Pelosi has already gone on record stating they want to yank the coastal drilling off of the bargaining table. Gas is only 2.30 a gallon now, 5 bucks a gallon plus is coming soon and staying.

[17th Miss Regt]

Do we make them wear chains as they go out on the road gangs?

"That's the sound of the men workin' on the chain gang..."

[ApplegateRanch]

Shouldn’t be problem. Aspahlt is so 20th Century.

Since Baby Hugo has nationalized the Venezuelan cement industry, it should be easy to use cheap and plentiful concrete instead.

Or, Uberfuerher Obamadolph can send forth his Mandatory Volunteer Youth Corps to crack, chip, and fit cobbles.

[William Tell]

repubpub said: ... 5 bucks a gallon plus is coming soon and staying. "

I hope so. Cheap gasoline will be a sign of world-wide recession likely to last years. Expensive gasoline means people have the money to pay.

[stylin19a]

ok, let's start pouring concrete....

[NonValueAdded]

And here I thought it was Bush’s fault.

[mhx]

Now there will be cheap gas and no roads to drive our cars on.

[JasonC]

Get a bunch of good intentions, which we seem to have buckets of, and you can get to where we are headed.

[JasonC]

It is AOF. Remember it, repeat it, until no one even has to ask.

[factoryrat]

The road to hell is paved with good intentions, not asphalt.

[Robert A Cook PE]

A small side effect of Pelosi’s energy policies, and Obama’s carbon Pelosi’s.