Road To Disaster

Last week, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood recommended that congress delay the passage of a new transportation bill, that is due to expire on September 30, 2009, for 18 months. The day before LaHood’s announcement, Congressman James Oberstar (D-MN), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, announced that his committee’s draft of the new bill would be released on Thursday of that week. And it was!

Oberstar made it plain in an interview by major networks, that delaying the bill was not acceptable; that the situation had been studied and analyzed for years; that the proposed new bill took over two years to draft.

To study the situation for another 18 months will do only one thing, delay the passage of a desperately needed new Highway bill. Why is this desperate attempt being made to delay its much-needed passage? Because there is an election between now and then and this bill is asking for an increase in revenue generation to pay for the cost of this program.

Tax-increase avoidance is the motivating factor that will temper everything that happens until that election is over. Meanwhile, we will be faced with the accelerated deterioration of our transportation infrastructure, an increase in national debt and a decrease of highway safety. Throwing $13 to $18 billion in the pot to “pay for the delay” will ultimately cost you and I many times this amount in attempts to catch us up to the rest of the world.

Think about this: you are standing still, sitting in your broken-down, 20-year old jalopy when a new, sleek super-sporty Ferrari screeches by at twice the speed your vehicle was capable of even brand spanking new. You sit and wait 18 minutes before you even attempt to start catching it. What do you think your chances are of catching and passing it?

That’s our commerce in the jalopy and China’s in the Ferrari…

The Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC), co-chaired by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) and the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America, includes 28 national associations and labor unions with a direct market interest in the federal transportation programs and focuses on the federal budget and surface transportation program policy issues, released an important study yesterday that you need to read. Before you do, remember millions of Americans will soon take to the roads over the Fourth of July weekend, and even with our depressed economy there will be a lot more people on the roads than normal and the hazards of travel will skyrocket. This new study shows that many may be driving on deficient highways and bridges ripe for safety improvements. With legislation pending for reauthorization of the nation’s transportation funding, TCC members are calling on Congress to provide significant, dedicated funding for roadway safety improvements and to develop programs that encourage states to invest even more.

“The battle on this bill is shaping up on how you fund it,” said Matthew Jeanneret, spokesman for ARTBA. Jeanneret called the report “somewhat groundbreaking.”

“These are tangible things that can be done to save 22,000 lives a year,” he said. “Imagine if a plane with 200 people on board was crashing every three days. Something would be done about it.”

New Study Shows More Forgiving Roads Would Save Lives And Cut Costs; Health Experts & Transportation Leaders Urge Congressional Action

More than half of U.S. highway fatalities are related to deficient roadway conditions – a substantially more lethal factor than drunk driving, speeding or non-use of safety belts according to a landmark study released today. Ten roadway-related crashes occur every minute (5.3 million a year) and also contribute to 38 percent of non-fatal injuries, the report found.

In revealing that deficiencies in the roadway environment contributed to more than 22,000 fatalities and cost the nation more than $217 billion annually, the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE) concluded that making the roadway environment more protective and forgiving is essential to reducing highway fatalities and costs.

“If we put as much focus on improving road safety conditions as we do in urging people not to drink and drive, we’d save thousands of lives and billions of dollars every year,” principal study author Dr. Ted Miller said. Miller, an internationally-recognized safety economist with PIRE added, “Safer drivers and safer cars remain vitally important, but safer roadways are critical to saving lives, preventing injuries and reducing costs.”

Titled “On a Crash Course: The Dangers and Health Costs of Deficient Roadways,” the study found the $217 billion cost of deficient roadway conditions dwarfs the costs of other safety factors, including: $130 billion for alcohol, $97 billion for speeding, or $60 billion for failing to wear a safety belt. Indeed, the $217 billion figure is more than three-and-one-half times the amount of money government at all levels is investing annually in roadway capital improvements – $59 billion, according to the Federal Highway Administration.

The report concluded that roadway related crashes impose $20 billion in medical costs; $46 billion in productivity costs; $52 billion in property damage and other resource costs; and $99 billion in quality of life costs which measure the value of pain, suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life by those injured or killed in crashes and their families. The report also found that crashes linked to road conditions cost American businesses an estimated $22 billion at a time when many firms are struggling. According to the report, crashes linked to road conditions cost taxpayers over $12 billion every year.

“Recent concerns about swine flu pale in comparison to the number of crash victims I treat,” said Dr. Jared Goldberg, an emergency room physician in Alexandria, VA. “In medical terms, highway fatalities and injuries have reached epidemic proportions, and efforts to prevent further spread of this plague are essential. In the absence of a true vaccine to defend ourselves, fixing dangerous roads would help prevent traffic crashes from occurring in the first place.”

On a Crash Course identifies ways transportation officials can improve road conditions to save lives and reduce injuries. For example, immediate solutions for problem spots include: replacing non-forgiving poles with breakaway poles, using brighter and more durable pavement markings, adding rumble strips to shoulders, mounting more guardrails or safety barriers, and installing better signs with easier-to-read legends. The report also suggested more significant road improvements, including: adding or widening shoulders, improving roadway alignment, replacing or widening narrow bridges, reducing pavement edges and abrupt drop offs, and clearing more space adjacent to roadways.

“Although behavioral factors are involved in most crashes, avoiding those crashes through driver improvement requires reaching millions of individuals and getting them to sustain best safety practices,” continued Miller. “It is far more practical to make the roadway environment more forgiving and protective.”

The report also analyzed crash costs on a state-by-state basis. The 10 states with the:

• Highest total cost from crashes involving deficient road conditions are (alphabetically): Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas.

• Highest road-related crash costs per million vehicle miles of travel are: Alabama, Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia.

• Highest road-related crash costs per mile of road are: California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and South Carolina.

This is a link to the report with all its details and statistics.

Take the time and read this report. Even if you don’t drive or have a car, your life is tied to the pavements that link every aspect of our lives. Without our transportation system we would not be what we are.

Note: PIRE is a leading independent transportation safety research organization. It has conducted research for a range of organizations, including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, National Safety Council and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Drawing upon the most recent available data from the U.S. Department of Transportation, PIRE employed analytic modeling methods to evaluate the causes and costs of U.S. motor vehicle crashes in preparing On a Crash Course.

PIRE conducted the study on behalf of the TCC, which hosts the full report, complete state-by-state data and other research findings at http://www.transportationconstructioncoalition.org/.

Greg Sitek

Highway Trust Fund Bill At Risk?

For months now we’ve been told that transportation infrastructure was critical to the future growth of this country. We were told that we would have a transportation infrastructure stimulus package that would get us moving towards a more comprehensive transportation infrastructure system. We were also led to believe that the reauthorization of the current Highway Trust Fund bill, SAFETEA-LU, was important and critical to resolving some of our economic issues, and we could expect congressional action on it this year.

Earlier this week, Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, announced that on Thursday the committee would be releasing a draft of the proposed new Highway Trust Fund bill.

Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood announced on Wednesday, he and President Obama had come up with a plan to fund the almost bankrupt Highway Trust Fund and extend the bill for 18 months. Their plan is to throw $13 to $18 billion into the fund to carry it for the next 18 months. The rationalization is that the committee shouldn’t rush into this new bill and should carefully consider its options.

LaHood’s blog, “Welcome to the Fast Lane” starts off with this as Thursday’s healine: “Let’s face reality on the Highway Trust Fund, not rush comprehensive legislation” and goes on to say:

“Yesterday and today, I briefed members of Congress on the Highway Trust Fund situation and proposed an immediate 18-month highway reauthorization that will replenish the Fund.

“This is an unusual step, I know. But, with the Fund likely to run out of money by late August, it’s a little too late to worry about business as usual.

“Beyond keeping the Highway Trust Fund solvent, an immediate 18-month reauthorization provides Congress the time it needs to fully deliberate the direction of America’s transportation priorities. That’s the kind of thoughtful decision-making America deserves.

“Passing transportation legislation in Congress is a complicated process. How the Highway Trust Fund went south? Not so complicated.

“Here’s how it works…

“Highways are built, repaired, and maintained with payments from the Highway Trust Fund. The Fund is replenished by revenue collected from motor fuel taxes when Americans buy gas. When Fund spending in a given period is more than the gas tax collected in the same period, the Fund declines. When the decline persists over months or years, the Fund runs out of money and limits the ability of the Federal government to help states.

“As the chart below shows, even in years of relative economic security and gas-price stability, the Highway Trust Fund ended the fiscal year with less money than it started.

“Roadwork is not a simple undertaking. Our road-building and road-maintaining commitments must be planned years and years ahead. But, when times are uncertain, Americans are making gas-pump decisions month-to-month, some even day-to-day.

“I hope you can see the mismatch that can lead to. In years of combined economic insecurity and gas-price volatility, like 2008, people buy less gas and the Fund’s revenue source drops off.

“You can see from the chart above where that led us in 2008. Congress had to kick in an extra $8 billion to the Fund.

“You can also see where it has brought us so far in 2009. The Fund is likely to run out of money once again, and soon. Expenditures will stop; states will be in danger of losing the vital transportation funding they need and expect; projects will shut down; jobs will be lost.

“That’s the road we’re on right now. Once again, the Highway Trust Fund will need a massive cash infusion.

“Can we really go through this every year? Is that really the best this Nation can do?

“I don’t think so. That’s why I went to the Hill yesterday and why I’ll be there today.

“That’s why I proposed a quick, but brief, reauthorization that will free Congress and this Administration to better address long-term transportation policy.

“Time is running out, and the Highway Trust Fund must be made solvent. Then, and only then, can this country get the kind of thorough transportation discussion needed to address our infrastructure investments in a smarter, more focused way, a way that best meets the real demands of the country.

“That’s a discussion President Obama and I look forward to. But, first we need to take care of business.”

According to Oberstar, his committee has been working on this bill for more than two years and has conducted intensive in-depth studies of existing and developing problems and reasonable solutions to them. To him, his committee and much of the country, waiting is not an option.

Yesterday, the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) released the following:

“Statement of ARTBA President & CEO Pete Ruane on Congressional Release of Bipartisan Surface Transportation Authorization Act “Blueprint”

“American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) President & CEO Pete Ruane today released the following statement on “A Blueprint for Investment and Reform” released by leadership of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure:

“Today the bipartisan Transportation & Infrastructure Committee leadership has shown us why there is no reason to put off until tomorrow what some say cannot be done today. Chairman Oberstar and Ranking Member Mica deserve our highest praise.”

“The Committee and others in Congress have worked for more than two years to craft legislation that would dramatically boost investment to all modes of transportation. Two additional “blue ribbon” commissions deliberated for roughly three years and offered specific plans to address system needs, financing options and policy reform goals. The issue has been thoroughly studied and objectively evaluated.

“Action on a robust, reform-oriented multi-year reauthorization bill, as proposed by the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee leadership, is the only way to combat the combination of an economic downturn and increasing state budget difficulties. As history shows, putting the federal transportation programs in limbo contributes to uncertainty at the state level and leads to overall market stagnation.

“The proposal outlined today would ensure the economic gains initiated by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are enhanced, not jeopardized.”

The Associated General Contrators of America (AGC) released the following:

“Details of Transportation Reauthorization Released

“Today, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee released details of reauthorization legislation, the Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009, which is expected to be introduced tomorrow or Monday. The legislation is a 6 year $500 billion bill that will replace the current authorization, SAFETEA-LU, which is due to expire on September 30.

The Chairman of the Committee, James Oberstar (D-MN), has billed the legislation as a transformation in the way the federal government funds the nation’s transportation infrastructure. The documents released today include a blueprint for investment and reform, a framework of principles for federal surface transportation and an executive summary, which are all available on the AGC Web site. All of the documents and future updates can be found here.

“The blueprint of the legislation indicates a reduced number of programs but keeps most of the eligibility for them. It does not address any specifics on formula funding. The blueprint states that there would be project streamlining, but new environmental concerns exist, such as carbon reduction and livability. Finally, the plan would centralize national planning to include all transportation modes.

“The Highways and Transit Subcommittee of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is planning a mark up of the legislation next Wednesday, June, 24, and has indicated that the process will be bipartisan.

“AGC Press Statement on the Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009

OBERSTAR AND COLLEAGUES ARE RIGHT TO FOCUS FIRST ON HIGHWAY AND TRANSIT VISION, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS OF DELAYING TRANSPORTATION DEBATE ARE UNTENABLE, TOP NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION OFFICIAL SAYS

“Stephen Sandherr, chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, released the following statement today in response to the release of the reauthorization principles by the leadership of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee.

“If the next surface legislation is simply a referendum on the gas tax, Americans will inevitably be stuck with more of the same chronic congestion, crumbling roads and constrained transit options too many face today. Chairman Oberstar and his committee colleagues understand that the debate must instead focus on how to deliver a transportation system that will support economic growth, protect the environment and improve quality of life. And they are right to start this debate now, and not 18 months from now. Given the crucial role infrastructure plays in virtually every aspect of our economy and environment, delaying this debate for sunnier days is as politically unrealistic as it is economically untenable.

“As one of the largest users of the nation’s transportation network, the construction industry is counting on Congress and the Administration to address the challenges of congested roads, aging infrastructure and increasingly unreliable shipment schedules. After all, we can’t build new economic prosperity if construction workers are stuck in traffic, green building supplies are trapped in gridlock, and stimulus dollars are squandered on wasted fuel and slipped schedules.”

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) released the following statement:

AEM Urges Swift Action on Infrastructure Legislation

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) joins a coalition of organizations today to urge Congress to move ahead quickly on desperately needed reauthorization of surface transportation legislation.

America’s infrastructure is crumbling and proper investment can help improve American quality of life, boost U.S. competitiveness and reduce our nation’s high unemployment rate, AEM said today in Washington, DC.

“AEM applauds the introduction of this framework to move forward on reauthorizing the federal surface transportation programs. If Congress can make a long term commitment to investing in infrastructure, contractors will be able to make needed investment in capital equipment that will meet the short term need to put people back to work and meet the long term need to repair and update US infrastructure,” noted AEM President Dennis Slater.

AEM is working on Capitol Hill directly and through industry coalitions to support innovative funding solutions to fund the federal transportation programs. The association is an active member of the Americans for Transportation Mobility (ATM) and supports its efforts to coordinate a campaign for improved infrastructure with business, labor, transportation organizations and concerned citizens.

“An efficient and safe transportation network benefits all of us, and we urge swift action by the Committee and the House to consider this vital legislation,” Slater added.

There have been numerous articles on this topic because it is a very hot item. It is critical to the future of the country and our economic growth. I’m just a construction journalist who has lived through a dozen recessions and the repeated passages of the highway trust fund bill. I remember when fund allocation was a yearly activity. Talk about chaos and turmoil…

When I read the first release from LaHood yesterday, my blood pressure shot up to 300/200. I thought I was still asleep, having a horrendous nightmare. I have been a strong LaHood supporter because I really thought he would be good for the country’s transportation and highway programs.

When I read the statement that the solution to the problem was to stall passage of the 2009 highway trust fund bill for 18 months – UNTIL AFTER THE 2010 CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS – when the bill could be given careful study, it became obvious to me that once again the highway trust fund has become a political football. The administration and congress don’t want to increase taxes or impose any type of user fees on us because this could result in lost votes.

The truth of this matter is that at some point in time we are going to have to pay the fiddler… we have and are dancing the dance. Will it make a difference if you delay making your monetary contribution to the transportation infrastructure of this country? Delaying a comprehensive approach to the creation of an integrated transportation infrastructure only accomplishes one thing… it puts us another 18 months behind our global competitors and 18 months deeper in debt.

Bottom line… you will pay for the roads and you will pay for all the money that is being spent. We, you and I, are one of the owners of this country and we are ultimately responsible for paying the bills our employees incur…

What can we do? We can contact our congressional representatives and tell them that we want a new highway trust fund bill and that we are willing to pay for it….starting now.

Greg Sitek

Construction To Begin On Nation’s Largest Mass Transit Project

NAPA Hails New “Rough Roads” Report From AASHTO And TRIP

The National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) commended the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and The Road Information Program (TRIP) on their new joint report, Rough Roads Ahead: Fix Them Now or Pay For It Later. The publication documents that one-third of the nation’s major highways, including interstates, freeways, and major roads, are in poor or mediocre condition, and that roads in urban areas, which carry 66 percent of the traffic, are in much worse shape.

NAPA President Mike Acott praised the comprehensive, unbiased document and applauded its timing. “The nation is facing a host of challenges. As Congress sifts through these challenges and sets priorities, it is vital that our road and highway infrastructure be front and center. AASHTO and TRIP have done an outstanding job of identifying the problems and proposing solutions,” he said.

Driving on rough roads costs the average American motorist approximately $400 a year in extra vehicle operating costs, according to Rough Roads Ahead. Drivers living in urban areas with populations over 250,000 are paying upwards of $750 more annually because of accelerated vehicle deterioration, increased maintenance, additional fuel consumption, and tire wear caused by poor road conditions.

“The American people are paying for rough roads multiple times,” said Kirk T. Steudle, Director of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). “Rough roads lead to diminished safety, higher vehicle operating costs and more expensive road repairs. It costs $1 to keep a road in good shape for every $7 you would have to spend on reconstruction. It’s another drag on the economy.”

Acott said that the asphalt pavement industry has created a program aimed at supporting state Departments of Transportation in their efforts to maintain the highway system and improve pavement conditions. “This is a difficult time for DOTs. The need for good highways to power our economy has never been greater, yet funds for building and maintaining highways are very restricted and the outlook for future funding is uncertain.

“That’s why NAPA has put in place a six-point plan to assist DOTs in controlling costs and meeting the needs of the traveling public. We have developed, and continue to develop, educational materials and programs to help DOTs deploy the most cost-effective, sustainable highways possible,” he concluded.

NAPA’s six-point program for 2009 and beyond includes the following:

• Thin overlays for pavement preservation
• Increased levels of pavement reuse and recycling
• Accelerated deployment of warm-mix asphalt
• Accelerated deployment of Perpetual Pavements
• Decreased costs over the entire life cycle of the pavement
• Sustainable pavement technologies including porous asphalt

Note: The full report is available at: http://www.tripnet.org/RoughRoadsReport_May2009.pdf or http://roughroads.transportation.org. AASHTO is the “Voice of Transportation” representing State Departments of Transportation in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. A nonprofit, nonpartisan association, AASHTO serves as a catalyst for excellence in transportation. TRIP is a national highway research group based in Washington, DC. Rough Roads is part of Are We There Yet? We Can Be!, AASHTO’s effort to build awareness and support for the nation’s transportation system.

Greg Sitek

Rough Roads Ahead

America’s $1.75 trillion public highway system is in jeopardy. Years of wear and tear, non-stop traffic, an increased use of heavy trucks, deferred maintenance, harsh weather conditions, and rising construction costs have taken their toll on America’s roads.

Driving on rough roads costs the average American motorist approximately $400 a year in extra vehicle operating costs. Drivers living in urban areas with populations over 250,000 are paying upwards of $750 more annually because of accelerated vehicle deterioration, increased maintenance, additional fuel consumption, and tire wear caused by poor road conditions.

Rough Roads Ahead: Fix Them Now or Pay for It Later, a report released by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and The Road Information Program (TRIP), identifies the conditions of the nation’s major highways, costs to preserve the highway system, added costs to motorists due to poor pavement, and state solutions to shore up their highways. The report states that one-third of the nation’s major highways, including Interstates, freeways and major roads, are in poor or mediocre condition. Roads in urban areas, which carry 66 percent of the traffic, are in much worse shape.

Delayed and deferred maintenance leads to higher repair and reconstruction costs—pay me now or pay me more, lots more, later.

According to Kirk Steudle, director of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), “The American people are paying for rough roads multiple times. Rough roads lead to diminished safety, higher vehicle operating costs and more expensive road repairs. It costs $1 to keep a road in good shape for every $7 you would have to spend on reconstruction. It’s another drag on the economy.”

While the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) will provide $27 billion for highway projects, that money will barely make a dent in highway maintenance, preservation and reconstruction needs. The recent AASHTO Bottom Line report documented the need for all levels of government to invest $166 billion each year in highways and bridges. More than half of that amount would be needed for system preservation. “The federal stimulus program is providing a helpful down payment towards repairing some of the nation’s rough roads,” said Frank Moretti, TRIP’s director of Policy and Research. “But it will take a significant long-term boost in investment by all levels of government to provide Americans with a smooth ride.”

Saving America’s highways demands more than short- term stimulus funds and quick fixes based on available funding. It will require a greater and smarter investment of transportation dollars to ensure a new and better transportation program.

This report examines the condition of America’s roads and what it will take to save them:

What’s Wrong with Our Roads?
Killer potholes. In a flash they can dislodge a hubcap, shred a tire, or even worse, cause a driver to lose control of a car. But they can also be a symptom of a much deeper problem —deteriorating pavement that takes much more to repair than a simple patch.

As fundamental as our transportation system is to our daily lives, our highways and bridges are aging, under-funded and inadequate to meet the demands we place upon them today, much less the future. And across America motorists are paying the price.

For state departments of transportation, preserving the condition and performance of the transportation system we have built is the top priority.

In Pennsylvania, for example, work will begin later this year on more than 240 projects to repair and improve 608 miles of highway and 399 bridges. The projects will be financed with $1 billion in federal economic-stimulus money combined with about $2 billion in federal and state funds. This represents the most the Pennsylvania Transportation Department has ever committed to construction in a single year.

New technology, materials, and procedures are helping extend the life of our highways and bridges. States are also spending “smart” by making the investments needed to keep a road in good repair, rather than paying more later to address greater deterioration.

But the needs are enormous and poor-quality pavement is reflected in the increased operating costs that motorists must pay.

This report, developed by AASHTO in conjunction with TRIP, a national transportation research group, documents the preservation needs of the nation’s highways and the solutions that can be applied. As we look to the next authorization of federal-aid surface transportation programs, rebuilding and improving our nation’s core transportation structure must be a fundamental goal.

Allen D. Biehler
Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
President, AASHTO

ROUGH ROADS LEAD TO HIGHER COSTS
Only half of the nation’s major roads are in good condition, based on an analysis of recent Federal Highway Administration data. The situation is worse in high traffic, urban areas where one in four roads is in poor condition. In some major urban centers, more than 60 percent of roads are in poor condition.

The American public pays for poor road conditions twice — first through additional vehicle operating costs and then in higher repair and reconstruction costs. For the average driver, rough roads add $335 annually to typical vehicle operating costs. In urban areas with high concentrations of rough roads, extra vehicle operating costs can be as high as $746 annually.

Sustaining deteriorating roads costs significantly more over time than regularly maintaining a road in good condition. Costs per lane mile for reconstruction after 25 years can be more than three times the costs of preservation treatments over the same 25-year period.

CHALLENGES FACING AMERICA’S HIGHWAYS
Unrelenting traffic is tough on roads. Traffic growth has far outpaced highway construction, particularly in major metropolitan areas. The number of miles driven in this country jumped more than 41 percent from 1990 to 2007—from 2.1 trillion miles in 1990 to 3 trillion in 2007. Nearly 66 percent of that driving passed over urban roads, which are showing the most wear and tear. In some parts of the county, dramatic population growth has occurred without much of an increase in road capacity, placing enormous pressure on roads that, in many cases, were built 50 years ago.

Soaring construction costs during the past five years are straining state and local budgets. By the summer of 2008, asphalt prices were up 70 percent, concrete 36 percent, and steel 105 percent. Diesel fuel, used to operate heavy construction equipment, soared 305 percent, including a 63 percent jump in one year. Over time, these higher costs have eroded states’ purchasing power on construction projects. In the past few months, however, the economic recession appears to have moderated some of these costs. In fact, many bids for stimulus projects are coming in below engineers’ estimates.

The explosion of freight truck traffic is punishing aging highways. The Interstate system is bearing the brunt of truck traffic and showing the impact. Today, on average, every mile of Interstate highway sees 10,500 trucks a day. More than 80 percent of freight tonnage moving across the United States is carried by trucks driving on the 50-year-old Interstate system.

“Managing a highway system is like playing chess. You have to look at the whole board, the whole system, not just the next move. Sure we do reactive things, but our best strategy is when we look down the road eight years or more, look at every section of road, and budget to keep those roads in good condition. “
—Gary Ridley, Director, Oklahoma Department of Transportation

Investment has not kept up with maintenance and preservation needs. Michigan DOT Director Kirk L. Steudle said, “It is important to slow the rate of decline in the good road so that it stays in good shape rather than slipping into fair or poor condition.” But soaring construction costs, tight budgets, and increasing needs make it hard for states to sustain preservation programs. That is why most states are using their stimulus funds to make up for lost time from deferred maintenance and preservation.

Highway Maintenance Needs Exceed Available Funds
Keeping good roads in good condition is the most cost-effective way to save America’s highways. But the needs are high and the available funding limited. For example:

• Oregon needs $200 million annually over the next 10 years to maintain roads at the current levels. It has $130 million available annually.
• Texas needs $73 billion during the next 22 years to maintain current conditions. The Department is spending $900 million per year and losing ground.
• Rhode Island needs $640 million annually to preserve its highway system and has only $354 million available each year.

Stimulus funds will fill in some of the gaps.

• Oregon will use half of its $224 million of stimulus funds for pavement resurfacing and preservation projects.
• Texas is spending $800 million in stimulus funds to stabilize pavement and bridge conditions for the next few years.
• Rhode Island will use its $137 million primarily for preservation and maintenance projects. The extra funds provide about 5 percent of the projected shortfall in preservation funds over the next 10 years.
• South Dakota’s stimulus allocation will provide about one year’s worth of preservation funding to help with the backlog of needs.

Strategies For Saving America’s Highways
Use the best materials throughout the life of a road. From filling a pothole to reconstructing a major highway, using materials designed to meet specific climate and traffic conditions will extend the service life of a road and reduce costs over the long run. Research into new materials, constant monitoring of pavement conditions, and matching materials to traffic and weather conditions all contribute to long-term durability of a road.

Keep good roads good. Maintaining a road in good condition is easier and less expensive than repairing one in poor condition. Achieving that goal involves a carefully planned and consistently funded pavement preservation program that makes proactive improvements in good roads to keep them good. “You can spend too much time and money chasing after potholes while watching the system fall farther and farther behind,” said Pennsylvania DOT Secretary Allen Biehler.

Create a Multi-Modal Freight Strategy. Ensuring that roads can handle the projected growth in freight bearing trucks involves more than building sturdier roads. It will require a commitment to a multi-modal freight strategy that may include: (1) building a network of dedicated truck lanes; (2) expanding rail capacity to sustain its share of freight movement; (3) fixing bottlenecks and reducing congestion in metropolitan areas; (4) improving conditions from ports and distribution centers to the Interstate and rail systems; and (5) a funding model that includes freight-related user fees to implement the strategy.

View highways as public assets to be managed rather than projects to be fixed. Asset management is a comprehensive approach to ensuring the most cost-effective return on investments for operating, maintaining, upgrading, and expanding transportation systems. It starts from the assumption that the nearly 4 million miles of public roads are a valuable national asset, essential to the vitality of the American economy.

Invest to save America’s highways. When the Interstate system was first designed in the 1940s, lines were put on a map to describe the vision for a country connected by a network of limited access highways. “Planners said this is what we want it to look like. Now let’s figure out how to pay for it,” said Oklahoma DOT Director Ridley. “Now we work in the reverse. We say here’s how much money we have, and let’s decide what we want to do with that. That approach doesn’t produce the best decisions.” Rebuilding for the future requires a national commitment to significant and sustained investment in transportation infrastructure based on a vision of what we want our transportation system to look like in the 21st century and beyond.

It is time for a greater and smarter investment of transportation dollars to ensure a new and better transportation program.

Are we there yet? No—but we can be.

“We as stewards of the transportation system have no choice but to drive home the message that maintaining an acceptable condition for our highways—preserving the system—is vital to our country’s future.”
Allen D. Biehler, AASHTO President; Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

Highways to Everywhere
A well-connected highway system, maintained in good condition, is critical to the nation’s economy. With a current value of $1.75 trillion, preserving the system of roads and highways so they last for generations and meet changing needs should be a top priority for all levels of government. Even with continued growth in public transit, enhanced rail services, and a national commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, roads remain a vital component of the system that moves people and goods throughout the country.

Roads are essential to everyday life.

• Nearly 24 million children—55 percent of the country’s kindergarten through high school population—ride 450,000 school buses 180 days per year.
• Every year, 50,000 ambulances make 60 million trips—that is an average of 164,000 trips per day.
• A fire department responds in one or more vehicles to a fire alarm in the United States every 20 seconds.
• Trucks in the United States carry 32 million tons of goods valued at $25 billion every day.
• The country’s 240 million registered vehicles travel more than 2.9 trillion miles annually.

Those vehicles and the people who drive and ride in them, rely on the nation’s nearly 4 million miles of public roads—from Interstate highways to neighborhood streets—to get somewhere to do something.

Highways are a backbone of American life connecting people, goods, and services. But many roads, particularly in metropolitan areas and population growth centers, are in poor condition.

Despite the recent downturn in travel in 2008, the number of miles driven on the nation’s roadways has increased 41 percent from 1990 to 2007. Large commercial truck traffic, which places significant stress on pavements, has increased 50 percent during the same timeframe.

In some parts of the country, dramatic population growth with minimal capacity expansion has placed enormous pressure on highways. For example, in Utah, between 1990 and 2007, population grew by 47 percent and miles driven by 71 percent—but highway capacity grew by only 4 percent.

Transportation officials across the country are focusing on how to preserve and protect their part of this national asset by building smarter, investing in systematic maintenance programs, and using new technologies to produce longer-lasting roads.

Quick Facts:

• One-third of the nation’s highways – interstates, freeways and major roads – are in poor or mediocre condition.
• More than one-quarter of major urban roads, which carry the brunt of national traffic, are in poor condition.
• Major urban centers have the roughest roads – more than 60 percent of the roads in the greater Los Angeles, San Jose, San Francisco-Oakland, Honolulu and Washington, DC, areas offer a poor ride.
• Rough roads add an average of $335 to the annual cost of owning a car – in some cities an additional $740 more – due to damaged tires, suspensions and reduced fuel efficiency.
• Every $1 spent in keeping a good road good precludes spending $6-$14 to rebuild one that has deteriorated.

THE NATION’S HIGHWAYS BY THE NUMBERS
Total miles of public roads—3,967,159

Total miles of roads by ownership

• Federal—128,378 miles (3.2 percent)
• State—783,643 miles (19.8 percent)
• Local—3,055,138 miles (77 percent)

Total miles of rural and urban roads

• Rural – 2,939,042 (74 percent)
• Urban – 1,028,107 (26 percent)

Total Interstate Highway miles—47,000
Annual miles driven in cars and trucks—2.9 trillion
Percent of miles driven on urban roads—65.6 percent
Tons of freight moved on America’s highways annually—15 billion

EARLY HISTORY OF UNITED STATES ROAD BUILDING
1625 Earliest known paved American road—Pemaquid, Maine
1795 First engineered American road— Philadelphia to Lancaster toll turn-
pike
1823 First macadam road constructed in America—Maryland
1872 First asphalt paved roads in North America—Pennsylvania Avenue in
Washington, DC, and Fifth Avenue in New York, NY
1893 First rural brick road—Ohio
1906 First bituminous macadam road— Rhode Island Hammond Surface Streets,
Hammond, Indiana

Note: The full report is available at: http://www.tripnet.org/RoughRoadsReport_May2009.pdf or http://roughroads.transportation.org. AASHTO is the “Voice of Transportation” representing State Departments of Transportation in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. A nonprofit, nonpartisan association, AASHTO serves as a catalyst for excellence in transportation. TRIP is a national highway research group based in Washington, DC. Rough Roads is part of Are We There Yet? We Can Be!, AASHTO’s effort to build awareness and support for the nation’s transportation system.

Greg Sitek

Daily Dirt

NAPA Announces Midyear Meeting

The National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA), the only trade association that exclusively represents the interests of the Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) producer and paving contractor on the national level with Congress, government agencies, and other national trade and business organizations, announced that its Midyear Meeting, being held July 27-29, 2009 at the Hilton Head Marriott Beach and Golf Resort in South Carolina, is set to deliver valuable educational and networking events to the asphalt industry. The schedule includes very timely plenary sessions designed to provide attendees with takeaways that will help them grow their market. The NAPA committee meetings are scheduled to take place as well.

Kicking off the program is Emmy Award-winning radio and TV host John Powers, who will speak on the art and science of leadership.

NAPA president Mike Acott will present “Industry at a Crossroads” which will provide an executive summary of the progress in dealing with the major issues facing the industry. You will hear the very latest on the fumes issue, highway funding, and the six core areas that will expand the market for asphalt. The focus will be on deliverables – ideas you can take away from the meeting to help you improve your bottom line.

“Washington Update: Highway Funding at a Defining Moment,” featuring Doug Black of Oldcastle Materials Inc., Jack Basso of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and Greg Cohen of America Highway Users Alliance (AHUA), will provide attendees with vitally important information to properly assess current and future market conditions based on the decisions Congress may make this year. As America’s highways, roads, and bridges fall further into a state of disrepair, and the revenues flowing into the Highway Trust Fund are no longer capable of supporting the current rate of federal highway spending, steering our nation’s transportation financial system back into the black with enough funding to meet current and future needs will be critical to the long-term viability of the asphalt pavement industry.

Registration for the NAPA Midyear Meeting and educational program is open to NAPA members and other industry personnel. More information on the meeting and online registration is available at http://www.hotmix.org/.

EPA Awards California $440 Million in ARRA Funds for Water Infrastructure Projects

In a move that stands to create jobs, boost local economies, improve aging water and wastewater infrastructure and protect human health and the environment for the people in the State of California, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $440 million to California. This new infusion of money provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will help the state and local governments finance many of the overdue improvements to water projects that are essential to protecting public health and the environment across the state.

“This remarkable opportunity to provide much-needed support for sustainable water and energy-efficient drinking water and wastewater systems throughout the U.S. is unprecedented,” said Laura Yoshii, EPA acting regional administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “This funding will allow California to identify its highest infrastructure priorities, protect human health and surface water quality, address climate change, and create critical green jobs as a foundation for a sustainable future.”

The State Water Resources Control Board’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund(CWSRF) program for wastewater treatment, pollution control and estuary management projects was awarded $280 million. It provides low-interest loans for water quality protection projects for wastewater treatment, non-point source pollution control, and watershed and estuary management.

The California Department of Public Health’s Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SDWSRF) program received $159 million for drinking-water infrastructure improvements. It provides low-interest loans for drinking water systems to finance infrastructure improvements. The program also emphasizes providing funds to small and disadvantaged communities and to programs that encourage pollution prevention as a tool for ensuring safe drinking water.

Top priority will go to projects in disadvantaged communities – where the population makes 80 percent or less of the state median household income.

“This money is wonderful for those communities that don’t have the ability to pay back those loans,” said Barbara Evoy, deputy director of the State Water Resources Control Board. “The jobs they need in those areas are extra important, and we’re very happy to solve a water-quality problem as well as help in job creation.”

The size of projects vying to receive grants or loans varies from $8,000 to install water meters in the Adams Springs Water District in Lake County to $22 million for a similar, though much larger, project in the city of Sacramento.

The money is expected to spur hundreds of new water infrastructure projects as well as jump-start those stalled by California’s budget disaster, state and federal officials said.

The award is a share of the unprecedented $6 billion dollars in water system improvement funds that will be awarded to water and wastewater infrastructure projects across the country under the Recovery Act in the form of low-interest loans, principal forgiveness and grants. At least 20% of the funds provided under the Recovery Act are to be used for green infrastructure, water and energy efficiency improvements and other environmentally innovative projects.

$1.5 Billion In TIGER Discretionary Grants Available For Capital Investment In Surface Transportation Projects

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced the availability of $1.5 billion in Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Discretionary Grants for capital investment in surface transportation projects. Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis to projects that have a significant impact on the nation, a region or metropolitan area and can create jobs and benefit economically distressed areas.

“TIGER discretionary funding will open up the door to many new innovative and cutting-edge transportation projects,” said Secretary LaHood. “This is exciting news and I believe that these projects will promote greater mobility, a cleaner environment and more livable communities.”

Applications for TIGER discretionary grants must be submitted by September 15, 2009, from state and local governments, including U.S. territories, tribal governments, transit agencies, port authorities and others. Comments on the criteria must be received by June 1, 2009.

The grants can range from $20 million up to $300 million to support high impact transportation projects. Secretary LaHood can waive the minimum grant requirement for beneficial projects in smaller cities, regions or states. The U.S. Department of Transportation will require rigorous economic justifications for projects over $100 million. To ensure responsible spending, the department will require all fund recipients to report on their activities on a routine basis.

The solicitation published in the May 18th Federal Register provides clear criteria for the department to make merit-based decisions on the new discretionary program.

Primary selection criteria include contributing to the medium to long-term economic competitiveness of the nation, improving the condition of existing transportation facilities and systems, improving the quality of living and working environments through livable communities, improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving the safety of U.S. transportation facilities.

The Department will also give priority to projects that are expected to quickly create and preserve jobs and stimulate rapid increases in economic activity, especially projects that will benefit economically distressed areas.

Note: To view the Federal Register, please go here. Look under Transportation Department, Notices: funding Availability; Request for Comments on Grant Criteria; Supplemental Discretionary Grants for Capital Investments in Surface Transportation Infrastructure.

Greg Sitek

House Members Seek $136.3 Billion In Road Projects

Abiding by a new policy of openness in seeking projects for their home districts, House members have requested $136.3 billion in earmarks in a highway and transit-funding bill the House will take up this summer.

The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee said that, as of late Wednesday, all 405 lawmakers asking for personal projects had posted those project requests on their office websites, as is now required under House rules aimed at making the earmarking process more open and less subject to abuse.

Members are required to provide letters of support from local officials and a certificate verifying that they have no financial interest in the project. Each project must also provide an opportunity for public comment.

The committee has provided the Department of Transportation (DOT) with a copy of the requests and has asked DOT to review them to ensure that the projects meet program eligibility criteria. It has requested that the DOT complete its review within 20 days.

The committee, which is expected to introduce its six-year surface transportation bill next month, said it had received 6,868 requests for what it calls High Priority Projects (HPP). It is now in the process of vetting the requests to determine which projects will be included in the surface transportation bill to be introduced next month.

“We are providing an unprecedented level of transparency and accountability in this process,” said Transportation Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN).

The earmarking process drew sharp criticism when Congress passed the last surface transportation bill in 2005. Watchdog groups questioned the need for money going to local museums or bike paths, and the extravagance of some projects, including the $200 million “bridge to nowhere” in rural Alaska.

Several groups, while applauding the move toward more openness, complained that lawmakers were not required to post requests on their websites before submitting them to the committee. That’s the procedure now used by the House Appropriations Committee, which is in charge of annual spending bills.

The Sunlight Foundation, committed to helping citizens, bloggers and journalists be their own best congressional watchdogs by improving access to existing information and digitizing new information, and by creating new tools and websites to enable all of us to collaborate in fostering greater transparency, earlier this week also said that the absence of a central location for posting earmark requests made them more difficult to locate. It said its staff had been able to find just 85 requests on member websites.

The committee is expected to approve a number far short of the $136.3 billion in requests. In 2005, Congress approved about 6,300 HPP requests from both House and Senate lawmakers totaling about $24 billion.

The next surface transportation bill, which provides federal money over six years for the construction and repair of roads, bridges and mass transit, is expected to be in the $400 billion range. The current bill, SAFETEA-Lu expires at the end of September.

The 2009 reauthorization of the Federal Surface Transportation Program is an historic opportunity to establish a national vision and mission that delivers 21st
Century sustainable transportation solutions that strengthen the U.S. economy, enhance the quality of life for all Americans and protect our natural environment.

For too long, an inefficient and deteriorating transportation network has been taken for granted—as have the federal programs and financing structures designed to support this system. As a result, traffic congestion has become pervasive, the competitiveness of American businesses in the global market has suffered, and the role of the federal government in transportation has been clouded. In short, the status quo is not only unacceptable, but also destructive.

As Congress prepares for the upcoming reauthorization debate, the members of the Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC), a partnership of 28 national associations and construction unions representing hundreds of thousands of individuals with a direct market interest in federal transportation programs, offers the following goals and recommendations to transform the U.S. surface transportation network from a liability into an asset.

The TCC’s recommended guiding principles are:

• Strong Federal Leadership
• Protect Existing Assets-Sustainability
• Expand System Capacity
• User Fee Financing to Increase Investment
• Improve Project Delivery Process
• Enhance Infrastructure Safety

Specific recommendations include:

• Short-Term Financing
• User Fee Rate Commission
• Future Financing
• New Freight Program
• Budget Firewalls
• Accountability
• Timely Enactment
• Environmental Review Process
• Infrastructure Safety
• User Fee Integrity
• Research

We can continue to ignore the problems or even pretend that the Stimulus Package is going to solve them, but the simple truth is that our transportation infrastructure problems need to be fixed. There is no single solution. Focusing only on mass transit or roads isn’t the answer. We have grown to a country of over 300 million and are continuing to increase our population numbers.

It’s time to start believing the growth and needs projections that are coming from a wide variety of different sources. They can’t all be wrong. I recently heard someone say, “We can’t pave our way out of our transportation problems.” That’s a fact. But, we can plan our way out… Now is the time to look at all the plans, evaluate them and decide on a realistic course of action that will lay the foundation for future infrastructure growth and change.

Greg Sitek

Daily Dirt

EPA Head Visits Wyoming Wind Farm

The relatively nascent U.S. wind industry can help propel the country out of its economic doldrums and bring energy independence, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson said.

While touring Happy Jack Windpower, a new 30 MW windpower facility west of Cheyenne, WY, Jackson said wind energy will benefit Wyoming and the rest of the nation by creating jobs to build and maintain wind farms.

Happy Jack Windpower was developed by Duke Energy Generation Services. The fourteen Suzlon turbines operate at 2.1 MWs each. The project generated its first MW of electricity on July 17, 2008 with a commercial operations date of September 3, 2008 and sells 100 percent of its clean, renewable energy to Cheyenne Light Fuel & Power under a 20-year renewable energy purchase agreement. Happy Jack Windpower will generate approximately 100,000,000 kWhs of electricity per year — enough to power approximately 12,000 homes.

“In a thriving wind power industry, turbines like the ones here will be designed, manufactured, constructed and maintained by Americans,” she said. “For American workers that creates new jobs, especially manufacturing jobs in communities all across our country.”

At the invitation of Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal (D), Jackson began a two-day tour of the state’s energy industry at the wind farm. Today, Jackson will tour Wyoming coal and natural gas fields.

Illinois Senate Passes $29 Billion Public Works Program

On Wednesday, the Illinois Senate voted to legalize video poker, boost liquor taxes and allow lottery wagering over the Internet to fund a $30 billion statewide capital infrastructure program. The funding will be used for the repair of the state’s aging roads and bridges, making them safer while creating thousands of jobs to stabilize the state’s ailing economy.

“Many roads, bridges and other projects in the 22nd District have been in urgent need of renovation for years. By first ensuring the funding for this program, we can then move forward with a capital plan, putting people to work while shoring up our crumbling infrastructure,” Senator Michael Noland (D-Elgin) said. “With this program, we will be able to put thousands of people to work making our roads safer while putting good wages in the pockets of working people. These people will then be able to spend more money in our stores, pay off their mortgages and generally increase commerce everywhere.”

Illinois has not had a comprehensive capital improvement plan in a decade. Over the course of those ten years, many bridges and roads around the state have fallen into disrepair. By passing an infrastructure improvement program now, Illinois will be able to capture billions more in federal dollars to assist in fixing the continuing problem of its deteriorating transportation network.

In January, when Illinois Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) was first elected to lead the supermajority of Democrats, he pledged to establish and pass a major capital construction program. Over the course of the past several weeks, Cullerton has engaged Senate Republicans and leaders from the Illinois House to develop the plan passed Wednesday.

“For the past several years, the politics of personality has interfered with developing a jobs plan that a strong majority of legislators could support,” Cullerton said. “Today, with the help of Democrats and Republicans, the House and the Senate, I am confident we will finally move forward the spark needed for our state economy. It couldn’t have been done without the commitment to work together, in good faith. I commend each legislator and each legislative leader who has helped put more Illinoisans to work.”

The capital bill, (HB 312), includes 13 billion in state funding and $7 billion in matching federal funds. On the spending side, more than $15 billion will go for road projects and $3 billion for school construction. The plan also would finally pay $148 million in school construction money owed for years to two dozen school districts throughout Illinois, including $29.7 million for Chicago schools. Higher education, parks and museums also will get funds. Chicago-area mass transit would receive $1.8 billion out of the $2 billion set aside for local bus and train service statewide. The breakdown: $900 million for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), $810 million for Metra commuter rail and $90 million for Pace suburban bus.

When it came to where the money would be spent and authorizing the bonds to pay for it, senators voted 59-0. The toughest vote was on whether to increase taxes and fees and expand gambling. Even that measure passed 47-12.

But Illinoisans also would pay higher fees for license plates, which will cost $79 on July 1 and would rise again to $99 under the proposal. A driver’s license, now only $10, would cost $30 under the legislation. The plan relies most heavily on so-called sin taxes. A six-pack of beer, bottle of wine or fifth of scotch will all cost more.

The agreement would legalize video gambling to take advantage of the widespread under-the-table business that thrives in Illinois, authorizing up to five poker, blackjack or video slot machines per business and taxing the proceeds for an estimated $375 million a year.

The legislation also would open up the state to selling lotto tickets over the Internet, a proposition that would need approval from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Gambling opponents spoke out against both proposals before the executive committee approved the measures on 12-0 bipartisan votes.

Before becoming law, the proposal must be approved by the House and signed by Governor Pat Quinn (D), who has signaled his openness to the plan.

Cullerton predicted the package would pass the House swiftly, perhaps as soon as Thursday.

ROAD PROGRAM INVESTMENT:

• More than $15 billion will be invested in roads (includes state bonds and local/federal matching funds)
• More than $11.6 billion will be directed to the state’s Multiyear Road Program
• $3 billion will be invested in new road projects
• $500 million will be directed to new local transportation projects

EDUCATION INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT:

• Illinois will receive a 100% local/federal match for school construction and maintenance investment. House Bill 312 directs $1.6 billion to school construction and maintenance, garnering another $1.6 billion from non-state investment
• More than $1 billion will be directed to state universities
• Community Colleges will gain $353 million

ENVIRONMENTAL/ENERGY/TECHNOLOGY INVESMENTS:

• More than $1.9 billion will be invested in environmental, energy and technology projects. More than $1.2 billion of this commitment comes from local and federal dollars, or 65% of the overall investment
• Illinois will invest more than $900 million in clean water and sewer programs through this bill. $110 million in state investment, garnering $796 in local and federal commitments
• Parks, libraries and museums are slated to receive $500 million in the authorization

MASS TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENTS:

• $4.66 billion will be directed to public transit programs. 90% of these funds will be spent on the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), CTA and Metra
• In sum, almost $6 billion will be invested in transportation investment throughout Illinois

STATE FACILITIES & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INVESTMENTS:

• $750 million of investment is authorized for state facility improvements. These investment dollars will be directed to improve aging state buildings and public service facilities.
• $50 million will be used for new investments in health care facilities.

Mimi Sitek