Post by jean on Dec 9, 2014 9:15:17 GMT -5
Why are we building a new road to maintain when financially we cannot maintain what we have?
Potholes widen as state struggles to pay for roads
Posted: Monday, December 8, 2014 4:48 pm
By Maureen Hayden CNHI State Reporter
INDIANAPOLIS – Jim Meece, a commissioner in rural Parke County, was happy when the Legislature funneled about $100 million extra a year into road funds last year.
The money didn’t go far. His county’s allotment – about $500,000 – mostly bought thousands of gallons of thick oil and crushed stone to fill potholes.
“There’s a lack of understanding of what’s happening out here in the boonies,” said Meece. “We have roads with more patches than blacktop. We have patches on top of patches on top of patches.”
He isn’t the only one waving a warning flag.
Last week, state Transportation Commissioner Karl Browning gave budget-makers some dire news. Without a significant boost in road-repair money, 1 of 8 miles of highway will be in critical condition within a decade, costing nearly as much to fix as replace.
Browning estimates he needs more than $3 billion over the next 10 years just to curb existing damage. He’ll need more than $4 billion to bring the aging road system up to standard.
That doesn’t include the price tag to repair local streets – or repair and replace more than 1,500 bridges. Half of the state’s bridges are 50 years or older and soon will approach replacement age of 75.
In Decatur County, more than a fourth of bridges is defective, according to the Federal Highway Administration’s most recent report. Sixty-nine of Indiana’s 92 counties fared better in the 2013 report.
www.greensburgdailynews.com/news/local_news/potholes-widen-as-state-struggles-to-pay-for-roads/article_7d518717-6b00-56e8-9397-ee455af7c773.html
Potholes widen as state struggles to pay for roads
Posted: Monday, December 8, 2014 4:48 pm
By Maureen Hayden CNHI State Reporter
INDIANAPOLIS – Jim Meece, a commissioner in rural Parke County, was happy when the Legislature funneled about $100 million extra a year into road funds last year.
The money didn’t go far. His county’s allotment – about $500,000 – mostly bought thousands of gallons of thick oil and crushed stone to fill potholes.
“There’s a lack of understanding of what’s happening out here in the boonies,” said Meece. “We have roads with more patches than blacktop. We have patches on top of patches on top of patches.”
He isn’t the only one waving a warning flag.
Last week, state Transportation Commissioner Karl Browning gave budget-makers some dire news. Without a significant boost in road-repair money, 1 of 8 miles of highway will be in critical condition within a decade, costing nearly as much to fix as replace.
Browning estimates he needs more than $3 billion over the next 10 years just to curb existing damage. He’ll need more than $4 billion to bring the aging road system up to standard.
That doesn’t include the price tag to repair local streets – or repair and replace more than 1,500 bridges. Half of the state’s bridges are 50 years or older and soon will approach replacement age of 75.
In Decatur County, more than a fourth of bridges is defective, according to the Federal Highway Administration’s most recent report. Sixty-nine of Indiana’s 92 counties fared better in the 2013 report.
www.greensburgdailynews.com/news/local_news/potholes-widen-as-state-struggles-to-pay-for-roads/article_7d518717-6b00-56e8-9397-ee455af7c773.html