{"id":670,"date":"2015-08-11T17:22:46","date_gmt":"2015-08-11T17:22:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/?p=670"},"modified":"2017-02-07T23:14:11","modified_gmt":"2017-02-07T23:14:11","slug":"blame-bad-roads-on-washington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/blame-bad-roads-on-washington\/","title":{"rendered":"Blame Bad Roads On Washington"},"content":{"rendered":"

In exactly fifteen days, the federal fund that provides funding for the nation\u2019s highways, roads and bridges will effectively run out of money. And we\u2019re sorry to tell you this isn\u2019t just a bad case of d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu.<\/p>\n

We are now witnessing yet another last minute effort to do something that it seems so obvious needs to be done. The fact is, if you\u2019re car or truck gets swallowed up by a giant pothole, go ahead and blame Washington.<\/p>\n

After a constant stream of short-term fixes<\/a>, lawmakers now need to come up with $100 billion if they want to ensure infrastructure needs are met for another six years. But will they?<\/p>\n

Where\u2019s The Movement?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ever since the Highway Trust Fund first ran out of money in 2009, Congress has been engaging in a near constant barrage of last minute, short-term extensions. The total number amounts to 33 over six years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The biggest problem with the highway fund is that there\u2019s not enough money coming into support all of the infrastructure projects on the drawing boards.\u00a0 A full 60 percent of the fund is supported by the 18.4 cents-per-gallon fuel tax, which has remained static since 1993. The remaining funding gap sits at $16 billion.<\/p>\n

Despite these numbers, raising the gas tax appears to be a non-starter in Congress. In lieu of federal action, 16 states have decided to raise their own gas tax. Highlighting how bipartisan this issue is, eight of the states raising taxes are Republican controlled. After all, the money has to come from somewhere.<\/p>\n

Can States Do It?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, most of the states receive more than half of their infrastructure funding from the government. The uncertainty in Washington has led a number of states to delay necessary projects and hold back on infrastructure planning.<\/p>\n

In an attempt to get some movement on the issue, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said earlier in the week that the Federal Highway Administration would have to furlough workers. He went on to say that states will \u201ccease having access to personnel who assist with all highway projects.\u201d<\/p>\n

This lack of access won\u2019t just be limited to processing payments. States will also find resources for project approvals, environmental actions, permitting, authorizations, technical assistance, and modifications to existing projects may all be affected.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Happening Now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In what may be a surprise to no one, the House passed a five-month extension on Wednesday. The Republican-backed bill would approve another $8 billion for the Highway Trust Fund, kicking the can to mid-December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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To complicate matters, Senate Republicans have no plans of taking up that bill, but instead want to try for an even longer extension<\/a>.\u00a0 Republican Senators Orrin Hatch of Utah and James Inhofe of Oklahoma have both been pushing for a multiyear highway bill this year.<\/p>\n

All this as the clock winds down. Can our nation\u2019s roads survive the uncertainty?<\/p>\n

How Bad Is It?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Every time Washington fails to find a long term solution to pay for the nation\u2019s ailing infrastructure, the situation gets worse. Twenty-two states<\/a> report over half their roads being in poor or mediocre condition. Another quarter come close to the half-way mark.<\/p>\n

According to the American Society of Civil Engineers<\/a>, one in nine bridges in the country are considered \u201cstructurally deficient.\u201d So many of the nation\u2019s major highways are so congested that it costs the country over $100 billion a year in wasted fuel and time.<\/p>\n

In what may be a major symbol of Washington\u2019s disconnect, bridges in the nation\u2019s capital are deteriorating faster than the national average. A shocking 77 percent of the bridges in Washington D.C. are either structurally questionable or functionally obsolete.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Next?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The American Trucking Associations, along with other trade groups, has lobbied heavily<\/a> for an increase in the gas tax. Unfortunately, Congress does not share the same view. There is very little appetite in either party for raising the gas tax.<\/p>\n

Senator Chuck Schumer of New York himself said that \u201cwhile there are some individual members who support a gas tax, the vast majority of both parties do not.\u201d<\/p>\n

The proposed Senate bill would annually inject $43 billion into the fund, but there is no funding mechanism built into it to make up for the missing billions from a static gas tax.<\/p>\n

So, with our country\u2019s roads, highways and bridges practically crumbling beneath our wheels<\/a>, when will Congress decide action must be taken? Don\u2019t hold your breath.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In exactly fifteen days, the federal fund that provides funding for the nation\u2019s highways, roads and bridges will effectively run out of money. And we\u2019re sorry to tell you this isn\u2019t just a bad case of d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu. We are now witnessing yet another last minute effort to do something that it seems so obvious … Read moreBlame Bad Roads On Washington<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nBlame Bad Roads On Washington - Quick Transport Solutions Trucking Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/blame-bad-roads-on-washington\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Blame Bad Roads On Washington - Quick Transport Solutions Trucking Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In exactly fifteen days, the federal fund that provides funding for the nation\u2019s highways, roads and bridges will effectively run out of money. 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