0, maybe kucinich

 

The subsidy equates to increasing the price of gasoline $1 to $2 per gallon. Of course, the simple answer is to eliminate the subsidy and restore some sense of the free market to transportation and land use decisionmaking. But the trend has been for Congress to make the tax structure more complicated -- and how many of them will vote to eliminate subsidies for gasoline when they believe the price is already much too high?!?

 

I think the problem is the general public's ignorance. They don't understand that we're all paying for high gas prices either way. All they know is that gas prices are rising and who to blame. People are tied to the houses they're living in. For most people, its their biggest investment and since we're a "suburban nation" there would inevitably be people that would lose their ass if the market forced people back into the city. The suburbs also have a lot of political power, probably more than areas with efficient land-use. And the current construction trends seem to indicate that it's even increasing. How do you convince people to promote walkability, mass transit and responsible land-use when they've invested in an built environment that isn't alligned with those principles?

Can you or someone else show proof that we subsidize the oil industry? My friend is an economics whiz and he said the only difference is Europe taxes and we don't. Not saying you're wrong, just looking for facts.

US DOT:

 

DOT 72-07 

Monday, July 23, 2007 

Contact: Heather Hopkins

Tel.: (202) 366-9550

Declining Traffic Deaths Lead to Lowest Highway Fatality Rate Ever Recorded, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters Announces

 

The number of people who died on the nation’s roads fell last year, leading to the lowest highway fatality rate ever recorded and the largest drop in total deaths in 15 years, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters announced today.

 

“Tough safety requirements and new technologies are helping make our vehicles safer and our roads less deadly,” Secretary Peters said. “But we all must do more when so many are killed or seriously hurt on our roads every day.”

 

In 2006, 42,642 people died in traffic crashes, a drop of 868 deaths compared to 2005.  This two percent decline in traffic deaths contributed to the historic low fatality rate of 1.42 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT), Secretary Peters said.

 

Most significantly, fatalities of occupants of passenger vehicles—cars, SUVs, vans and pickups—continued a steady decline to 30,521, the lowest annual total since 1993, Secretary Peters said.  Injuries were also down in 2006, with passenger car injuries declining by 6.2 percent and large truck injuries falling by 15 percent, she said.

 

Secretary Peters cautioned that troubling trends continue in motorcycle and alcohol-related crashes.  Alcohol-related fatalities rose slightly in 2006 over the previous year, while motorcycle deaths rose by 5.1 percent.  This is the ninth year in a row the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has seen an increase in motorcycle deaths.

 

“Proper training, clothing, gear and, above all, helmet use are essential to reversing this deadly trend,” Secretary Peters said.

 

Drunk driving enforcement will continue to be a top priority for the Department, said NHTSA Administrator Nicole Nason, noting no improvement in last year’s alcohol-related fatalities numbers.  In 2006, 15,121 fatalities involved a driver or motorcycle operator, pedestrian or cyclist who had a .08 or above BAC (blood alcohol concentration) compared to 15,102 in 2005, she said.

 

“There is a personal story behind these statistics and for every alcohol related fatality, the family left behind is shattered forever,” Administrator Nason said.   

 

NHTSA collects crash statistics annually from the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to produce reports on fatalities and injuries.  This newly released report can be seen at: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/810791.PDF.

 

#  #  #

 

 

there were still 42,642 americans killed by automobiles last year. 11x more than the iraq war.

But when Americans are in cars, their life is in their own hands, and it gives them a sense of security and invincibility. Like you said, people have irrational fears.

I really want to see in the federal budget where it says we shell out hundreds of billions of dollars, or how we give them tax cuts that amount to hundreds of billions of dollars per year. If its true, it has to be recorded on a federal website; that should be public information.

I think the problem is the general public's ignorance. They don't understand that we're all paying for high gas prices either way. All they know is that gas prices are rising and who to blame. People are tied to the houses they're living in. For most people, its their biggest investment and since we're a "suburban nation" there would inevitably be people that would lose their ass if the market forced people back into the city. The suburbs also have a lot of political power, probably more than areas with efficient land-use. And the current construction trends seem to indicate that it's even increasing. How do you convince people to promote walkability, mass transit and responsible land-use when they've invested in an built environment that isn't alligned with those principles?

 

Remember, the cities had all the political power back in the 1950s, but the highway lobby still got the Interstate Act passed by Congress in 1956 because it was a marketed as a way to link the cities, provide a way to move the military and even to get city residents to flee in the event of a nuclear war (sort of an automotive duck-and-cover). So the counterintuitive can be done with the right marketing mix.

 

In Ohio, home construction trends are almost wholly suburban. But in major cities in the rest of the U.S., especially ones with decent fixed guideway transit systems, the trend has changed -- development has increased in older, established neighborhoods of cities.

 

As for the source of my information regarding gasoline subsidies, one of the best research works was done by the International Center for Technology Assessment. To download their report (from 1999, I believe), click on:

 

http://www.icta.org/doc/Real%20Price%20of%20Gasoline.pdf

Cars are getting safer because of better tires and brakes, not goofy "technology" such as million airbags and steel beams all over the place. Americans are so focused on what happens when a car actually crashes that they never think of AVOIDING a crash. "Oh, I need a big tank SUV so that I can be safe." They never think about they fact that something that weighs less might have never gotten in a crash in the first place.

No statistics are kept on "near misses" or crashes that didn't happen, and it's why our roads are full of pigs rather than reasonable automobiles. The advantages of a vehicle that handles and brakes well cannot be quantified by the safety nazis. Stability Control is a technology that will hopefully minimize the mistakes of these doofuses that demand to drive SUVs that handle like '60s Chryslers. 

Given that former ODOT Director Gordon Proctor allowed the TRAC (Transportation Advisory Review Committee) to commit more funds to highway projects than it had $$$$ to spend, this is a story we will be seeing more of around the state. We need to be investing more of these dollars in our rail systems to move more people and freight. The good news is that the Mayor of Lima and a number of local officials and community leaders are also strong supporters of the the Ohio Hub Plan.

 

Van Wert County residents discuss future of U.S. 30

J.D. Bruewer | [email protected] - 07.25.2007

 

VAN WERT Ohio Department of Transportation District 1 Supervisor Kirk Slusher came to Van Wert Tuesday night to discuss plans for U.S. Route 30 that my never take shape.

 

With county and township officials developing a master plan for potential development, the Transportation Department wanted to weigh in with its goals for U.S. 30 as development moves forward.

 

Usually transportation officials have to react to developments, he said. We have a unique opportunity here to be proactive.

 

.......

 

http://www.limaohio.com/story.php?IDnum=41009

DOT:

 

 

 

U.S. Department of Transportation

Office of Public Affairs

Washington, D.C.

www.dot.gov/affairs/briefing.htm

 

FHWA 11-07

Contact: Doug Hecox

 

Friday, July 27, 2007

Tel.: (202) 366-0660

 

 

Nation’s Top Highway Official Awards

$5.3 Million to Encourage Bridge Innovations  

 

Nearly $5.3 million in grants will be awarded to bridge projects in 25 states to help develop new technologies to speed bridge construction and make them safer, Federal Highway Administrator J. Richard Capka announced today.     

 

“Bridges are critical links in the highway system and lifelines for communities,” Capka said. “These grants will help researchers to enhance the quality and durability of bridges, and even the speed with which they are built.”   

 

Twenty-nine applications representing 25 states were chosen from among 96 applications received. The grants, from FHWA’s Innovative Bridge Research and Deployment (IBRD) program, will be awarded for improvements to the quality of materials and design, construction and repair methods which lower construction costs and enhance bridge safety.

 

The IBRD program, created in the “Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users” (SAFETEA-LU) in 2005, is the successor to the FHWA’s Innovative Bridge Research and Construction program which expired at the end of the “Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century” (TEA-21). 

 

“Building better bridges results in less time spent on maintenance which reduces work zone congestion,” Capka added. “This program is one of many that are helping to keep America moving.”

 

 

 

#  #  #

 

 

 

Editor’s note: A table listing the date, location and amount of each bridge project can be found at  http://www.dot.gov/affairs/fhwa1107.htm

 

 

 

 

OHIO:

 

Ohio

Defiance County – Stever Road (CR153 over Tiffin River)

$250,000

 

This could probably go in a U.S. DOT policy thread, but we don't have one. So I'm a-putting it here....

______________

 

Updated: 11:19 a.m. ET Aug 9, 2007

 

WASHINGTON - President Bush dismissed Thursday raising the federal gasoline tax to repair the nation’s bridges at least until Congress changes the way it spends highway money.

 

“The way it seems to have worked is that each member on that (Transportation) committee gets to set his or her own priorities first,” Bush said. “That’s not the right way to prioritize the people’s money. Before we raise taxes, which could affect economic growth, I would strongly urge the Congress to examine how they set priorities.”

 

Bush was responding to a reporter's question at a White House press conference. The question referred to last week's collapse of the span over the Mississippi River at Minneapolis.

 

About $24 billion, or 8 percent of the last $286 billion highway bill, was devoted to highway and bridge projects singled out by lawmakers. The balance is sent in the form of grants to states, which then decide how it will be spent. Federal money accounts for about 45 percent of all infrastructure spending.

 

The Democratic chairman of the House Transportation Committee proposed a 5-cent increase in the 18.3 cents-a-gallon federal gasoline tax to establish a new trust fund for repairing or replacing structurally deficient highway bridges.

Interesting op-ed posted on the website for "The Nation". Note the references to ohio Congressmen Kucinich & LaTourette.

 

BLOG | Posted 08/08/2007 @ 5:30pm

A New New Deal

by Katrina Vanden Heuval

Editor / The nation

 

When the levees broke in New Orleans, I wrote about the desperate need for a New Deal for the 21st Century one which would rebuild a crumbling infrastructure, help address glaring income inequality, and repair the damage done by a Bush administration fiercely hostile to the notion that government can serve the public good.

 

The collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis is yet another alarm, alerting us to our skewed priorities and need for a public investment agenda.

 

.....

 

 

Following the bridge collapse, Senators Christopher Dodd and Chuck Hagel introduced legislation to establish a National Infrastructure Bank that would enable the federal government to help finance infrastructure projects partly through federal guarantees to state and local governments. Projects would include publicly-owned mass transit systems, roads, bridges, drinking water and wastewater systems, and housing properties. In the House, Congressmen Dennis Kucinich and Steven LaTourette introduced The Rebuilding America's Infrastructure Act which would create a low-cost federal financing mechanism to administer zero-interest loans to localities. States choose which projects to fund with the loans according to their specific needs.

 

 

..............

 

 

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/edcut?bid=7&pid=221239

FHWA:

 

FHWA 14-07 

Thursday, August 16, 2007 

Contact: Nancy Singer

Tel.: (202) 366-0660

 

New U.S. DOT Rule Allows States Flexibility to Build Roads and Bridges Faster

 

WASHINGTON – States will have more flexibility to build roads and bridges faster under a new rule that will allow design work and environmental reviews to occur concurrently, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters.

 

The final rule amends Federal Highway Administration regulations to allow states to use various innovative contracting methods ranging from basic design-build contracts to long-term concession agreements while simultaneously pursuing federal environmental approvals.  The rule also increases the opportunity for smaller projects to use design-build contracts by eliminating a required dollar amount for projects.   

 

“This new flexibility will help states build needed roads and bridges faster, while at the same time protecting the environment,” Secretary Peters said.

 

The rule allows certain design work to begin while the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process is under way, still ensuring that the full range of alternatives is considered.  Using this process, states are able to expedite the contract award process and start preliminary design while ensuring the objectivity of the NEPA decision-making process.

 

"Innovative contracting leads to speedier project delivery.  The new rule will help to mainstream the approach and reduce the costs for states wishing to enter into public-private partnerships,” said Federal Highway Administrator J. Richard Capka.

 

Capka added that a quicker process will save taxpayers time and money.  Overall, design-build has been proven a successful contracting tool, reducing average project delivery time by 14 percent.

 

The rule, which was open for full public comment before publication, can be viewed at www.fhwa.dot.gov/new.html

# # #

Though this is a federal development and not ODOT, it nonetheless filters down to the states. No one sends mixed messages like Washington.

 

August 16, 2007

Mixed Signals: Driving to Work as a Tax Break

By WILLIAM NEUMAN

NY Times

 

They have made it a priority at the United States Department of Transportation: Get people out of their cars.

 

This week, the department announced $848 million in grants to help cities discourage people from driving, in many cases by imposing new tolls or fees.

 

But at the same time, another arm of the federal government seems to be sending a very different message. Congress provides a tax break to many of those same drivers to help them shoulder the costs of taking their cars to work.

 

 

.......

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/16/nyregion/16driving.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&ref=nyregion&pagewanted=print

 

Someone should deliver this article to the new folks in charge of ODOT post haste. Even without the InnerBelt bridge, as KJP has suggested, travelers would have alternative routes and traffic wouldn't "paralyze" the city if Seattle is an example.

 

 

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/327710_traffic16.html

 

I-5 closure shows we're adaptable

 

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Last updated 8:38 a.m. PT

 

By CARY MOON AND KAMALA RAO

GUEST COLUMNISTS

 

Whether you're surprised or not, the unfolding story of I-5 construction is remarkable.

 

The highway is usually so congested at rush hour we've come to think of its traffic as absolute, as a necessity of life. When repairs meant partial closure, hearts sank. But the Washington State Department of Transportation planned ahead and got the word out. It threatened nightmarish delays; it urged working from home and avoiding rush hour. It offered a discount on van pools, mapped alternative routes and reminded us of all the transit options.

 

A few days in, and so far so good: About half the 120,000 daily drivers have found other ways to get around. Hats off to the media for educating us on options, and thanks to all the conscientious travelers for doing their part.

 

...........

 

Cary Moon is director of the People's Waterfront Coalition. Kamala Rao is a transportation planner.

ODOT officials read this forum, and especially this message string.

 

Thank you for finding this terrific article. Interestingly, many ODOT planners and engineers are aware that reducing highway capacity (either temporarily for construction or permanently for traffic calming) doesn't cause the end of the world. Instead, it's usually people like council persons and mayors who don't understand that people are adaptable. They fear the unknown. Thus, I doubt they'd be willing to take what they perceive is a risk that their constituents wouldn't forgive them come next election time if traffic snarled from a deliberate reduction in highway capacity. But if they could see how it works in the real world, by seeing real world examples, they might be less gun shy.

http://www.gongwer-oh.com/programming/index.cfm?locId=2

 

GOVERNOR: DEVELOPERS SHOULD SHARE COSTS OF PUBLIC INFRA-STRUCTURE

IMPACTS

 

Private developers whose projects benefit from upgrades in the

transportation infrastructure should con-tribute more to covering costs

that taxpayers currently pick up, Governor Ted Strickland said Friday.

 

The governor, speaking to the Ohio Planning Conference, said developers

have long benefited from publicly funded changes, saying a "policy

shift" in that area is needed.

 

...........

Stricklands proposed shift in policy would rock the developers world.

 

Private developers whose projects benefit from upgrades in the

transportation infrastructure should con-tribute more to covering costs

that taxpayers currently pick up, Governor Ted Strickland said Friday.

 

The governor, speaking to the Ohio Planning Conference, said developers

have long benefited from publicly funded changes, saying a "policy

shift" in that area is needed.

 

 

And how about this....(though I think Taft was talkin the same talk?)

 

Mr. Strickland also told the conference that the state should create

policies that encourage redevelopment of urban areas, noting that past

policies have encouraged urban flight and sprawl.

 

Urban areas "have not received the kind of action they deserve from

their state's government," he said. "If we do not have strong cities in

Ohio, we will not have a strong Ohio."

 

One wonders how far Strickland can go without the legistlature on board.

 

 

 

The tax revenue per year has increased because the tax rate and usage rate increased each year.  That much is obvious from the graph.  The troubling reality is that the rate has topped out (I believe), but construction costs are increasing 10 percent per year, which means that the buying power of the Ohio gas tax is decreasing at an alarming rate.  While ODOT policies are not agreeable to some UO posters, I wouldn't blame ODOT for the lack of buying power of the gas tax.  ODOT doesn't control the cost of gas, the market does.  However, the anti-transit/anti-rail ODOT policies will not serve us well as we head into a period of high gas prices and low revenue periods to upkeep/improve infrastructure.

Bridge fraud costing millions

Ohio orders redo of poor paint jobs on over 200 spans

Sunday, October 07, 2007

Laura Johnston

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

The fraud replayed for years across Ohio.

 

Contractors were paid millions of dollars to strip and paint highway bridges according to strict Ohio Department of Transportation specifications. But they cut corners, says ODOT. Then they presented inspectors with cash and trips to Vegas and Florida - and, one time, a guitar.

 

The result: more than 200 bridges across the state bleeding rust - only a few years after they were painted, said ODOT's chief legal counsel, Catherine Perkins.

 

This isn't about aesthetics. At issue is the long-term safety of the structure. Without a proper paint job, steel could eventually deteriorate.

 

 

.......

 

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1191746488128380.xml&coll=2

 

Surprise, surprise...contractor fraud!! This is really just a manifestation of the ODOT/contractor "good-old-boy" network that has been in place for years, operating with a wink and a nod. There are no guilt free good guys here. They're all in collusion and it's so widespread, I doubt it could ever be rooted out entirely.

 

By the way, I seem to recall that contractors for years did not have to guarantee the quality of their work. I remember when I lived in Ashtabula County a long stretch of I-90 was rebuilt to allow higher clearances at overpasses. The highway was depressed under the bridges and brand new pavement started breaking up almost immediately after the work was done. It all had to be torn out and replaced on the state's dime. I think now they have to warrenty their work, but this went on for decades.

 

Just a symbol of a corrupt culture.

More on the story..

 

BRIDGE-PAINTING PROJECTS

State suing 35 contractors over work

Defective jobs to cost ODOT millions

Monday, October 8, 2007 3:38 AM

 

 

CLEVELAND (AP) -- The Ohio Department of Transportation is suing 35 contractors who, it says, cut corners on highway bridge-painting projects and bribed inspectors with cash and gifts.

 

The department hopes to recoup the money needed to repaint close to 200 bridges statewide now bleeding rust just years after they were painted, said Catherine Perkins, the department's chief legal counsel.

 

 

.....

 

http://dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2007/10/08/z-apoh_bridgesuits_1008.ART_ART_10-08-07_B5_LB84INH.html?sid=101

"These companies are populated by people who want to work hard, get up and go to work every day and do a job," said attorney James Wooley, who represented the Cleveland-area Atlas Central Corp. "If you didn't have corrupt public officials, none of this would have happened."

 

The balls on that guy!! It takes two to tango, buddy.

^

Insert here:

 

a) The devil made me do it!

b) Stop me before I cut corners again!

c) Poor little me...they just keep corrupting me!

d) If it wasn't for those gosh-darned Guvment people we'd to an A-1 job every time!

e) What cookie jar?

Well, back to the PD/Laura Johnson article, it sounds like the fault of the Taft/Republican government whose officials shamelessly shook down the contractors

 

Patrick McLaughlin, who defended contractor Michael Lignos, also argued that the scam radiates from the agency.

 

"The common denominator in the approximately 15 similar cases is the shaking-down' of industrial bridge painters by ODOT officials/agents," McLaughlin said in a court brief. "The ODOT officials/agents engaged in and furthered a scheme of institutional corruption within the Ohio Department of Transportation and made the bridge painters play their game."

 

"These companies are populated by people who want to work hard, get up and go to work every day and do a job," said attorney James Wooley, who represented the Cleveland-area Atlas Central Corp. "If you didn't have corrupt public officials, none of this would have happened."

 

The balls on that guy!! It takes two to tango, buddy.

Lorain County Transit could soon become a victim of the state's cutbacks in transit funding, from $40 million in 2001 to $16 million last year.....

_________

 

http://www.morningjournal.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18996783&BRD=1699&PAG=461&dept_id=46371&rfi=6

 

Voters reject sales tax hike in Lorain County

By: ALEX M. PARKER, Morning Journal Writer<

11/07/2007

 

ELYRIA - After voters resoundingly defeated their 0.25 percent sales tax increase, the county commissioners vowed to try again next year.

 

.....The commissioners passed the sales tax increase in March, claiming a decreased flow of state funds and an increase in state mandates has put a strain on the county's budget.

 

Without an increase in revenue, county officials claim the city will be running a deficit within a few years.

 

 

.....The county commissioners warned that there will be tough decisions, and tough budget cuts, in the future.

 

"We're looking at more cuts for the next year, curtailing services. Transit's a major one at this point, along with soil and water conservation. Those aren't mandated services," Kalo said. "We've got a lot of tough decisions ahead of us on the board."

Just released this afternoon:  here is a link to ODOT's Business Plan for 2008-2009.

 

http://www.dot.state.oh.us/2008-2009BusinessPlan/ODOT2008-2009BusinessPlan.pdf

 

Here's is a very telling quote that indicates how much things are changing with regard to transportation policy in Ohio under the new administration.

 

"Considering the Movement of People:

 

With this dramatic growth in freight movement across all modes of transportation, the state must also find a better balance in transportation options for people. Ohio has very limited access to interstate passenger rail and no intrastate passenger rail. The completion by the Ohio Rail Development Commission of its Ohio Hub Economic Impact Study - which demonstrates how an intrastate passenger rail proposal would link major metropolitan areas of our state – validates the need for state and local policy makers to seriously consider the value of this proposal and explore how best to pursue funding this option. In the same vein, Ohio also needs to have a serious dialogue on public transit within our state and determine how best to improve capacity and usage in our urban, suburban, and rural areas."

The business plan sets a very different tone towards public transit and land use considerations than past ODOT administrations.  Obviously, the reference to the Ohio Hub is encouraging news, but the formation of the 21st Century Transportation Task Force and the attention to "revitalization of urban areas" gives evidence of a strong commitment to multi-modal transportation that was lacking before. 

Here's the press release....

_____________

 

November 27, 2007

 

Commitment to Highway and Bridge Preservation,

Call for 21st Century Transportation Priorities Task Force

focal points of ODOT’s 2008-2009 Business Plan

 

COLUMBUS (November 27, 2007) – Calling for a new dialogue on how best to determine Ohio’s transportation priorities and identify the fairest ways to finance them, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) unveiled its 2008-2009 Business Plan, highlighted by a commitment to fully fund the preservation of Ohio’s current highways and bridges, and creation of a statewide 21st Century Transportation Priorities Task Force to identify priority transportation improvements to move the state forward and innovative new ways to finance them.

 

The ODOT Business Plan, required every two years under Ohio law, also details the department’s new mission which emphasizes a multi-modal approach to modernizing the state’s transportation system.

 

“Ohio cannot simply build its way out of congestion. We must fully embrace a multi-modal approach – with an integrated network of highway, rail, transit, aviation, and waterway,” said Director James Beasley, PE/PS. “Our transportation infrastructure also contributes to job creation, so we must broaden our criteria for project selection to better understand the impacts to economic development and urban revitalization.”

 

Used also as a forecasting tool, the ODOT 2008-2009 Business Plan gives the department and its transportation partners a better perspective on the state’s long-term capital improvement program. ODOT must plan 6-7 years ahead, as transportation projects take years to plan and tens-to-hundreds of millions of dollars to build.

 

The plan also describes how ODOT must contend with several key challenges, including the devastating impact of construction cost inflation on ODOT’s purchasing power and the flattening of state revenues.

 

“Over the past four years, ODOT’s construction costs have seen a compounded inflation increase of nearly 41%,” said Director Beasley, pointing to hyper-inflation caused by the rising cost of oil, increased demand for raw materials in the global economy, and lingering effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

 

“As inflation has been driving construction costs up, the state revenues to pay for it have been flattening. Revenues from the state motor fuel tax have been leveling over the past three years, due in large part to the escalation of fuel prices, a slow-to-no growth in Ohio’s population, and the availability of more fuel efficient vehicles,” continued Director Beasley.

 

Another key challenge is an over-commitment by the department to Major New Construction projects in 2006 - at 47% above funding levels - and a planned shortfall of more than a billion dollars in the department’s roadway and bridge preservation programs. When combined, the cumulative effects of high construction cost inflation, flat state revenue, and budget adjustments needed for past program decisions create a shortfall of $3.5 billion using financial forecasts projected for the department through 2015, starting with an estimated $114 million shortfall in Major New Construction in 2009.

 

“In these difficult financial times, we must be good stewards of the public trust and adjust the department’s financial outlook to match realistic trends in revenue and construction costs,” said Director Beasley. “It is also important to have reliable and realistic project scope and cost information prior to the advancement of Major New Construction projects. ODOT will simplify its financial forecast and TRAC estimates to one, ‘clear-to-understand’ page.”

 

ODOT will assemble a statewide Ohio 21st Century Transportation Priorities Task Force to lead a frank discussion on how best to position Ohio’s transportation spending to balance the movement of people and freight, promote safety and reduce congestion, create jobs, encourage responsible growth, and help build sustainable communities. As the Task Force determines these priorities, it will also be asked to identify the fairest ways to finance them, including the identification of new tools for state and local governments to partner with the private sector.

 

Other highlights of the 2008-2009 Business Plan include the implementation of newer technologies to improve traffic flow and make the state’s current transportation system work “smarter.” Low-cost signal upgrades and coordination, remote traffic monitoring, and enhanced online applications for travel information are examples.

 

ODOT also commits to working toward a ‘better than before’ environmental policy, by improving efforts to recycle or “re-use” products and materials at ODOT facilities, and promote purchasing and use of recyclable, environmentally-cleaner products in construction and maintenance projects.

 

A full copy of ODOT’s 2008-2009 Business Plan can be found online at www.dot.state.oh.us/2008-2009BusinessPlan/

 

 

For more information contact:

Scott Varner,  ODOT Central Office at 614-644-8640

ODOT projecting $3.5B shortfall through 2015

November 28, 2007 | CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER

 

COLUMBUS - As the Ohio Department of Transportation moves forward with a business plan for the next two years, it's working to repair some major problems of its own.

 

.....

 

[glow=yellow,2,300]"Ohio cannot simply build its way out of congestion," ODOT Director James Beasley said in a release. "We must fully embrace a multimodal approach - with an integrated network of highway, rail, transit, aviation and waterway."[/glow]

Christ. The deficit has grown exponentially since the last estimate. They really have dug themselves a hole, and some badly needed highway projects, such as the Ironton-Russell Bridge (the current span has a rating of FOUR and is over 80-years-old) and the Chesapeake Bypass (3/4 of it is complete, sans the middle, very short section) is in limbo.

Keep in mind it was the previous adminsitration that created this debt.  For them to have allowed the TRAC to overspend is the proverbail lump of coal in the Christmas stocking for all of us.  But in reading the business plan, I like what I'm hearing with regard to thinking and acting intermodally.

Pay to play, baby! Hey, if you don't have the money, you pay for it the American (or GOP) way -- make your children and grandchildren pay for it!

Methinks that an announcment about the 70/71 split fix being "deferred indefinitely" might be coming out soon.  That's a pretty staggering amount of money.

I also wonder about the future of the Inner Belt reconstruction. I welcome any ODOT employee in the know to call me, off the record if they prefer, to say what the future of the project is. So many interested parties in the community need to know what might, and might not be. If the future is not known, that's certainly important too.

Let's look at this shortfall as a positive development, since it could force those who want to keep pouring more concrete to work with the rest of us who want other things. It may be the time for a "Grand Alliance" to arrive at a common, all-inclusive agenda and get a comprehensive transportation reform and funding package passed---an OhioTEA, if you will.

 

 

There is already a transportation "task force" underway through ODOT and the Ohio genarl Assembly.  I would suggest a letter to ODOT Director James Beasley to seek input into the process.  I'm told this task force will be true to the intermodal intent Beasley speaks of in the ODOT business plan.

"Ohio cannot simply build its way out of congestion," ODOT Director James Beasley said in a release. "We must fully embrace a multimodal approach - with an integrated network of highway, rail, transit, aviation and waterway."

 

While he's right on the money for the general sentiment, I wish people would quit saying "we can't build our way out of congestion".  Investing in alternatives to highways is building something.  The phrase that should be used is "we can't pave our way out of congestion".

ODOT plan released

By Benita Heath, The Ironton Tribune, November 29, 2007

 

*sigh* Two important projects are delayed indefinitely. The Ironton-Russell Bridge is currently well over 80-years old, has a bridge rating of _FOUR_, carries a substantial amount of traffic on a bridge deck that measures only 20 feet wide, and has numerous retrofits in place to strengthen the steel. The bridge currently closes when the temperature dips below 0F due to the brittleness in the steel.

 

The Chesapeake-Proctorville Bypass is _almost_ complete sans a critical section in the middle. A bypass exists of Proctorville, from the East Huntington Bridge to the already-improved sections near Athelia, and a bypass exists of Chesapeake and has since 1989, from the Robert C. Byrd Bridge to the U.S. Route 52 interchange. And a section in the center is indefinitely delayed...

 

--

 

As the Ohio Department of Transportation unveils its 2008-2009 business plan, it appears unlikely that Lawrence County residents will see any work done on two anticipated projects in the immediate future.

 

The start date for replacing the Ironton-Russell Bridge remains at least six years away. Originally, when the project was let in 2006, bids for a one-tower structure far exceeded the states estimate of $99 million. The lowest bid came in at $110 million.

 

The state is working with consultants to come up with a two-tower structure with a desired price tag of around $80 million.

 

The date tentatively is 2013, said Kathleen Fuller, public information officer for ODOT District 9. We are working to move that up.

 

 

.......

Ohio ought to reconsider the Turnpike lease.  The same consortium that leased the Chicago Skyway and the Indiana Toll Road would almost be forced to overbid to get it.  Toll increases on those roads will continue to depress Ohio Turnpike traffic levels.  Better to get it all under unified ownership, then there would be more rational systemwide pricing.

 

^I disagree.  If all that's going to happen from the driver's point of view is that tolls are going to go up, then the State could get the exact same result-- actually more money from it-- by just raising the tolls and earmarking the excess for other transportation projects that will help reach the new multi-modal/intermodal goals being pursued by ODOT. 

 

Why fatten the pockets of yet another already rich investment consortium when all of the money could stay in the state and do quite a bit of good here? 

Using toll money from the Ohio Turnpike for other projects is not very wise. That would be akin to using rail revenue to spend on highway projects, which you would surely be protesting and foaming at the mouth over. The same analogy cannot be said, however, of gasoline taxes and revenue.

Why not just sell off all of our highways and allow them to be converted to toll roads?  The PUCO could regulate the new owners as they do for other monopolies in the state.  If given the choice between a government run system and a regulated monopoly, I'll choose the latter.

Folks, the era of "don't touch my dollars" is over.  The demands of redeveloping and balancing our transportation systems is going to require some form of revenue sharing.  Sadly, we are hamstrung in Ohio by an antiquated motor vehicle fuels tax that limits what the revenues can legally be used for: highways only. 

 

Our choices are either to change the law or come up with an alternate dedicated source of funding for all other modes: rail, public transit, waterways, bike & pedestrian...

Using toll money from the Ohio Turnpike for other projects is not very wise. That would be akin to using rail revenue to spend on highway projects, which you would surely be protesting and foaming at the mouth over. The same analogy cannot be said, however, of gasoline taxes and revenue.

 

It's called reparations for years of low-ball funding and blantent disrespect.  I say it's time for the roadways and what not to have to start making more out of less...this essentially has been the treatment for every mass transit system, in the US, for many years.

Then, to "sell off the highways," you need to reimburse the federal government for providing the 90/10 split that built our Interstate Highway System. The bill for Ohio comes to... billions upon billions of dollars. Want to toll it? Go ahead, just be sure to fork a lot of pennies over!

 

Of course, you could apply for an exemption by the FHWA, but that is a difficult process. While Interstate 26 and 95 received excemptions in South Carolina, those stretches carry a substantial amount of through traffic and relatively little local traffic outside of the metropolitan areas. Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania... has been in debate for years and at current standing, it doesn't look too good.

 

Here is the difference in funding, in relation to giving the toll roads to the state.

 

1. Toll roads pay off the bonds that paid for the original construction of the highway, and for continued maintenance and upgrades. Lowering tolls will only defer maintenance and upgrade projects vital to the toll road. For instance, the Ohio Turnpike has a wealth of long-range projects that include implementing new toll plazas with high-speed transponder lanes at select interchanges, expansions of existing plazas, widening projects and bridge replacements. Raising tolls will not simply defer traffic by a large margin, and the tolls on the highway are adjusted every so often for inflation -- unlike other turnpikes, such as West Virginia's (last toll hike was in the 1980s). NO gasoline taxes are used for any projects, with exceptions, such as the modernization of the West Virginia Turnpike from 1974 to 1989 which required the financial assistance of the Federal Government because of the extreme costs of upgrading the Turnpike from two- to four- lanes.

 

2. Approximately ~60% (a little less) of the construction and maintenance work conducted on Interstate highways are funded through gasoline taxes, collected by states and the federal government. The federal government's money goes into the Highway Account of the Federal Highway Trust Fund -- which by the way, is set to go into the red in 2009. The remainder comes from the federal budget, some of it through appropriations (which some of you call "pork").

 

3. This method of using taxes dedicated to the construction and maintenance of highways is a direct subside from the federal government, since the remainder of the funding (40%) comes from the federal government. For this to be a perfect union of transportation networks, 100% of the funding should come from gasoline taxes or other methods, including pay-by-the-mile systems using GPS transponders.

 

3a. These ideas would be highly unlikely to happen for a while because it would be political suicide to raise gasoline taxes when the price of gasoline per gallon is over $3.00 in many areas. While still not high, it is a sticker shock for most consumers.

 

3b. Some will state that the GPS transponders will be an invasion of privacy.

 

4. The only other method is to toll rural Interstate networks, if 3a) and 3b) are not suitable. Clearly, tolls cannot be retrofitted on urban Interstates for obvious reasons, but rural Interstates can support toll booths and high-speed transponder-activated lanes. If enough drivers use electronic transponders, the state can substantially reduce the amount of room (and thus queue time and costs) of manual toll plazas. One toll booth between Cincinnati and Columbus, for instance, would be ideal.

 

5. EZ-PASS and other private transponder systems should be made public and all systems should be made uniform so that variations in the transponders will be able to work nationwide. For instance, transponders in the northeast will not work in Florida or in West Virginia. And the Ohio Turnpike is a whole mess in itself.

 

Let's not take this thread into a generalized auto-bashing thread and keep it reasonable. And as for my own opinion, I support the tolling of Interstate highways in rural areas, and some urban Interstates such as Interstate 270 around Columbus, using high-speed transponder-only lanes and cash-based lanes (although a smaller fraction should use those after much wider acceptance).

BTW, here is a thread at misc.transport.road on why tolls should not be added to existing interstate networks. I have not chimed in on this thread but I may. You are free to as well. Given that it is a highway-related newsgroup, you can expect that many views there won't align with yours (or mine, or many others here at UO).

Seicer, was your prior post a copy and paste from misc.transport.road? There was some allusions to prior comments that weren't made on this site. Just curious.

 

Folks, the era of "don't touch my dollars" is over.  The demands of redeveloping and balancing our transportation systems is going to require some form of revenue sharing.

 

In the U.S., every new/developing mode of transportation has received at least some of its funding from a pre-existing, already developed mode of transportation. Funding sources differed on a project-by-project basis, and in other situations was the result of an overall policy, be it intentional or otherwise. Gas taxes help pay for public transit. Private transit helped pay for paved roads. Railroad property taxes helped pay for local roads and the development of city-owned airports. The commerce and wealth generated by canals often aided a capacity for the construction of railroads. Or at least the canals built up the economic capacities of cities, regions and states to an extent which made railroads viable as private concerns.

 

Consider Alfred Kelley as an example. He was Cleveland's first "village president" and became chairman of the Ohio Canals Commission. He lobbied for the construction of three lake-to-river canals, the first being the Ohio & Erie Canal linking Cleveland to Portsmouth (sadly, few people in Cleveland know who Kelley is, yet he is probably most responsible for Cleveland becoming an industrial giant on a national scale). His prestige, ambition and legal knowledge (he was an attorney) put him in a position to become president of several banks which grew wealthy on the commerce enabled by the Ohio & Erie Canal. He used that wealth to become president of and invest in the construction of several railroads, which he saw would be the next big thing.

No, I haven't even read the thread at misc.transport.road given that I barely participate there with the exception of posting news articles and replying to Carl Rogers threads. I've made similar comments on UO before, I believe in this thread actually, on my opinions on the Interstate Highway System.