State needs increased federal transportation funding

    The nation continues to face an infrastructure funding crisis, one year after the tragic collapse of the I-35 W bridge in Minneapolis, Minn. States are increasingly unable to address pressing transportation needs as construction materials costs continue to rise and without any corresponding state or national funding increases.
    The problem could be made worse next year when the U.S. DOT may be forced to slash highway funds to states by a minimum of 34 percent because revenue into the federal Highway Trust Fund is not adequate to sustain the program. 
    2008 Chapter President Loren Clarke of Nickerson-O’Day said that state legislature has made a significant commitment to bridges and highway reconstruction, however, the federal effort hasn’t kept up.
     “Maine DOT has says we have a $2 billion funding deficit over the next decade here in Maine and I believe them.  This is the time for our delegation in Washington to act.  The states can’t do it alone” he said.
    In 2007, the U.S. Congress provided an additional one-time boost of $1 billion for states to address bridge needs, which translated into about $8 million for Maine. Estimates show that the problems are much more far-reaching – with many states facing budgetary crises and implementing cutbacks in transportation investment – and that the entire national system still needs an infusion of $65 billion to repair or replace the significant number of bridges that are fifty years or older. 
    On Monday, AASHTO released a report saying that 20 percent of our nation’s bridges are more than 50 years old. With an average age of 43 years old, it will cost $140 billion to repair and modernize the nation’s 600,000 bridges.
    “In Maine, that translates into a $54 million cut in funding,” said John O’Dea, Executive Director (acting), AGC of Maine. “Couple that with the news from our DOT that 817 bridges in Maine are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, and it is obvious that we have reached a crisis stage. We cannot wait any longer to tackle our growing infrastructure needs.”
    State Transportation budgets are also struggling to deal with the rising prices of construction materials – asphalt has more than doubled since the beginning of 2008, with increases of as much as 40 percent announced in many regions since July 1 bringing the price in Maine to as much $750 / ton; on-highway diesel fuel costs have risen 68 percent in the past 12 months; reinforcing steel (rebar) has roughly doubled since the beginning of 2008; and the price of construction plastics, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe and plastic fencing and moisture barriers, have risen 10-25 percent since early 2008. 
    Chartered in 1951, Associated General Contractors of Maine is the state’s largest construction industry trade association.  The Association maintains an office in Augusta and has 275 members statewide.  Member companies include general contractors, sub-contractors, and service & supply providers.  For more information, visit www.agcmaine.org