The Crumbling of America
June 20th, 2009
The Crumbling of America, a special on the current state of America’s infrastructure, will air on the History Channel on June 23rd at 9 PM and again on Sunday, June 28th at 5 PM.
The Crumbling of America
America’s infrastructure is collapsing. Tens of thousands of bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. A third of the nation’s highways are in poor or mediocre shape. Massively leaking water and sewage systems are creating health hazards, and contaminating rivers and streams. Weakened and under-maintained levees and dams tower over communities and schools. And the power grid is increasingly maxed out, disrupting millions of lives and putting entire cities in the dark. The Crumbling of America explores these problems using expert interviews, on location shooting and computer generated animation to illustrate the kinds of infrastructure disasters that could be just around the bend.
Check your local listings for your area and additional broadcasts. For more information, visit the History Channel website at http://www.history.com/shows.do?action=detail&episodeId=452430.
“In The Red” Booklet
February 6th, 2009
A state’s infrastructure is its underlying foundation and basic framework. In New Hampshire, we all rely on our transportation infrastructure every day.
The Safer Roads booklet makes a strong case for the state to develop a financial plan to adequately fund the state’s Ten Year Plan. The booklet very simply explains that our highway is now “in the red,” showing what trends got us there, what have been their effects on our infrastructure, and what we are likely to see in the future if our past trends continue unaltered into the future. The booklet’s conclusion is that the state needs to implement a financial plan to get us out of the red and on the road to a safe, sound transportation system.
We know that the consequences of not assertively formulating a financial plan will be far-reaching and touch on several important aspects of New Hampshire’s quality of life. Tourism is the second largest industry in the state of New Hampshire. Further, the highway system is vital to the state’s economy. And finally, safety is also impacted by infrastructure investment. The absence of adequate funding will diminish tourism, the economy, and safety in New Hampshire.
New Hampshire needs a long-term solution. Now is the time for choices. The difficult choice is for New Hampshire to develop a strategy that would attach the necessary cost to a transportation service or product in order to sufficiently finance a long-term solution for maintaining the state’s infrastructure.
This 8-page booklet contains text and charts that present the case for an increase in infrastructure funding. Please take a moment and read through the history, facts, and statistics, and consider what choice the state’s leaders should make in 2009.
2009 Calendar Is Released
December 29th, 2008
Safer Roads annual calendar was released in December. This year’s calendar shows a variety of images from all over the state, from good and bad roads to tourism to safety, along with statistics that describe their relationship with the importance of infrastructure in the state. Included are a number of photos showing construction projects under way and even a comparison of a repaired municipal roadway that was a calendar cover photo a few years ago. Our previous calendars mostly focused on the scope of deficiencies in the state’s highways and bridges.
A large percentage of the state’s roads have suffered over the years due to lack of sufficient funding, and are at the point where each year of neglect will result in a much more rapid rate of deterioration and higher repair costs. The 2009 calendar was sent in December to Safer Roads partners, elected officials, state agencies, and municipal road agents. It is our belief that if people understand the transportation problems, they can thoughtfully evaluate and contribute to effective solutions.
WMUR Highlights Highway Needs
November 14th, 2008
New Hampshire’s WMUR TV ran the story “As Motorists Drive Less, Highway Budgets Suffer” on Sunday, November 9th. The idea for this story came from Safer Roads’ DVD “A Safer Road to a Sound Future” that was sent to WMUR to inform them about the condition of the state’s infrastructure. Not long after they received it, WMUR’s Sean McDonald interviewed AGC’s Gary Abbott, a partner of the Safer Roads coalition.
During his interview, Gary explained to McDonald about the recent inflation of construction costs for materials necessary to maintain our roads and bridges and the shortfall in the revenue needed to fund their maintenance. There has been a 15 percent increase in costs in the past 12 months, as opposed to an average increase of 12.6 percent in the 4 previous years. Meanwhile, gas tax revenue has remained flat over the last 3 years, as compared to an average 2 percent growth in the prior 10 years ending in 2005. And while gas prices are going up, gas consumption is going down.
The story that WMUR ran emphasized the poor condition of New Hampshire’s transportation network. McDonald used road and bridge footage from the Safer Roads DVD and statistics from his interview with Gary, as well as interview snippets with Gary and with DOT Commissioner George Campbell. The Commissioner stated that “we’re spending $100,000 a day more than we’re taking in for income. Since May 1, our traffic volume is down 7.9 percent. . . which means the state will likely get $8 million less in revenue next fiscal year.”
The 4-minute story very clearly showed crumbling bridges and poorly maintained and congested roads. Those images were paired with statistics reflecting insufficient income and increasing outlays, and a grim prognosis for the state’s infrastructure if the levels of income and need continue to diverge.
If you would like to view the WMUR video, follow this link: http://www.wmur.com/video/17933966/index.html.
You may find the article that ran with the video at http://www.wmur.com/news/17933190/detail.html.
Congress Passes Highway Trust Fund Fix Just in Time
September 17th, 2008
The Federal Highway Administration announced in September a 30-40% cut in disbursements which would create a $52 million shortfall for New Hampshire. To avoid this, the Senate amended HR 6532 to become effective upon passage, and ratified it by voice vote.
On July 18, HR 6532 was introduced to the Congressional House as a measure to prevent the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) shortfall in FY 2009. The bill would credit the HTF with the $8 billion in highway user fee revenue that was transferred to the General Fund in 1998 as part of TEA-21. Enacted, the bill would prevent all states from suffering a 34 percent reduction in federal highway funding in FY 2009. The House voted on July 23rd to approve HR 6532 by a vote of 387-37.
On Friday September 5th, the Federal Highway Administration announced a 30 to 40 percent cut in disbursements from the Highway Trust Fund in response to a decrease in the revenue that the Federal government receives. As a result of this cut and without HR 6532, New Hampshire would lose $52 million in the highway fund in fiscal year 2009. Concerned construction firms in the industry quickly contacted their Congressional Senators Gregg and Sununu to urge them to enact HR 6532 and to call on the President to sign the bill as soon as possible.
On Wednesday evening September 10th, the Senate passed the bill by voice vote. The bill was amended to allow the transfer of funds from the general fund to the Highway Fund immediately rather than on October 1st because the HTF does not have a sufficient balance to fully reimburse states for payments they have made on ongoing federal-aid highway contracts. The full House passed the bill with the amendment on Thursday September 11th. The legislation was moved to the President’s desk for his signature, and he signed it on September 15th. Now FHWA will resume reimbursing states on a daily basis for the full amount submitted.
The measure, while welcome, is only a temporary fix that will get the country though FY 2009. During that time, there needs to be developed and passed a long-term measure to create new sources of funding for the Highway Trust Fund. What will the new President’s strategy be? Barack Obama “calls for stronger infrastructure and the development of high-speed freight and passenger rail.” McCain’s plan would include an “offer of a $300 million prize to anyone who can develop a car battery that surpasses current technology.” (from “Paying for Roads,” Washington Post, 9/15/08) Either of these plans needs a lot more refinement and details to work its way through the next Congress.
A Safer Road to Tomorrow Launches New Website!
September 17th, 2008
A Safer Road to Tomorrow has launched its new and improved website. Navigation from the home page is now even more user friendly than ever. The new site, which was refurbished over the summer, boasts a new publications page that now lists all Safer Roads’ publications and makes the downloading of quarterly newsletters, calendars, and the DVD much easier. In addition, the Safer Roads DVD can now be played inside a player. The site features animated graphics and new information sections which include up-to-date statistics, pages with news links, an elected officials section, and a “contact us” page with a new form for individuals to use.
Safer Roads’ mission is to inform New Hampshire residents about the nature and scope of deficiencies in the state’s highways and bridges, and their immediate and long-term impact on public safety, the economy, and our quality of life. If people understand the transportation problems, then they can thoughtfully evaluate and contribute to effective solutions.
The new website facilitates the coalition’s mission of informing and motivating the public. The site makes easily accessible all of Safer Roads’ publications and media, the most up-to-date infrastructure facts, and links to important road, bridge, and project information. Once informed, visitors to the new site can access a page that helps them contact any and all of the state’s elected officials in order to voice their concerns. Visitors may also use the Safer Roads’ interactive page to ask a question or sign up to help raise public awareness of the state’s infrastructure needs.
Use Caution: Rough Roads Ahead for New Hampshire
August 18th, 2008
A Safer Road to Tomorrow coalition has released its new booklet entitled “
TRIP Press Conference
August 14th, 2008
On March 28th The Road Information Program (TRIP) released a report on the condition of New Hampshire’s roads and bridges. Councilor Ray Burton, Public Works Chairman Gene Chandler and NHDOT Commissioner Carol Murray spoke of the importance of maintaining New Hampshire’s infrastructure. The report “highlights the benefits of an efficient, well-maintained and adequately funded transportation system,” said Carol Murray.Click on the links below to view the full report and press release.
