Road Construction

Infrastructure Funding in High Demand Following Ida’s Damage

September 21, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

“It’s about resilience,” said President Biden in regards to his $3.5 trillion, partisan rebuilding proposal along with another bipartisan infrastructure plan. “Make our roads and highways safer. Make us more resilient to the kinds of devastating impacts from extreme weather we’re seeing in so many parts of the country.”

This discussion comes as both democratic and republican lawmakers are working to find ways to boost infrastructure throughout the country following the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. As the storm ripped through the Gulf Coast and made its way Northeast, it brought with it downed power lines and trees, flooded roads and rivers, and massive damage to various bridges and roadways.

Because extreme weather events such as this are becoming stronger and more common, the nation’s aging infrastructure is no longer sufficient, many Congressional members are claiming. Because the Southeast’s drainage systems were not capable of handling the rain brought about by Ida, storm water was able to make its way into homes and vehicles and kill at least 50 people in the region between Connecticut and Virginia. Another 16 deaths have been counted so far at the hands of Ida throughout Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

“Global warming is upon us,” said Chuck Schumer, Senate Majority Leader. “When you get two record rainfalls in a week [in New York City], it’s not just coincidence. When you get all the changes that we have seen in weather, that’s not a coincidence….It’s going to get worse and worse and worse, unless we do something about it.”

Because of this, many Democrats, along with Schumer, are pushing for Biden’s rebuilding plan–which has a focus on fighting climate change–to be passed, in addition to the nearly trillion-dollar bipartisan infrastructure bill recently passed by the Senate. Still, though, the bipartisan bill may not see much movement until Biden’s package moves forward, although Democrats are hopeful both will be passed by the end of September.

“It’s so imperative to pass the two bills,” Schumer added.

The bipartisan legislation isn’t likely to receive strong backing from Democrats until powerful companion legislation is set forth to progress various left-wing priorities, though. Biden has continued to express his support for the bipartisan bill.

The current plan consists of almost $47 billion to revamp and rebuild bridges, roads, and ports to help them withstand natural disaster-related damage; $60 billion to expand renewable energy usage, build more transmission lines, and boost the country’s electric grid; $66 billion in improve and rebuild railroads; and $110 billion to improve and rebuild roads and bridges across the nation.

It “is going to change things on our streets across the country,” Biden said, calling it a “historic investment” in clean water, clean energy, and universal broadband projects, as well as in the nation’s bridges, roads, and railways.

“If we’re going to make our country more resilient to natural disasters, whatever they are, we have to start preparing now,” added Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana.

Cassidy, whose state was hit the hardest by Hurricane Ida, has backed the bipartisan bill as a way to bring much-needed improvements to states often affected by hurricanes and other natural disasters. He is serving as a lead negotiator on the bipartisan legislation.

“I’m sure hoping that Republicans look around my state, see this damage, and say, ‘If there’s money for resiliency, money to harden the grid, money to help sewer and water [systems], then maybe this is something we should be for,’” Cassidy said.

The bipartisan bill would be the first legislation allocating money specifically to “climate resilience,” and would be particularly helpful in boosting investments regarding the “future-proofing” of infrastructure to be able to withstand the effects of extreme weather and climate change, noted Eno Center for Transportation senior fellow, Jeff Davis. The bill would also allocate $17 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers and federal flood control projects–an area that has had long backlogs of needed efforts.

Another $8.7 billion would be dedicated to coastal infrastructure and port resiliency project grants through the Transportation Department, in addition to $3.5 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to better aid communities in efforts to lower their overall risk of flood damage.

“We have to start planning for what the future might hold and do modeling that’s going to help us predict what these future risks are going to be,” said Deanne Criswell, Administrator of FEMA. “These threats aren’t going to go away, and we need to start to reduce those impacts.” Criswell added that severe weather storms are going to quickly become a “new normal” due to climate change.

Road Closures and Power Outages are Just the Start of Trucker Challenges Brought by Hurricane Ida

September 20, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Hurricane Ida hit hard, leaving a lot of damage in its wake across the Southeast and East Coast. For truckers, this meant encountering a variety of new obstacles, such as power outages, debris-riddled and otherwise obstructed roadways, or even problems finding enough fuel for their drivers.

“The fact that we have such a huge, massive lack of power in the state has really impacted a lot of the trucking industry, especially if you operate around the city of New Orleans,” said Renee Amar, Executive Director of the Louisiana Motor Transport Association. Hurricane Ida did the most damage along the Gulf Coast–making its initial landfall in Louisiana.

Fallen trees and power lines are still being cleared from the state’s roads, although some major trucking routes along the coast continue to be washed out. For example, truck-heavy Route 26 in George Country, Mississippi is still waterlogged–its initial flooding caused the death of two people.

“Working with the [Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development], our engineer work teams are actively engaged throughout 11 parishes and have assessed 2,112 miles and cleared 403 miles of roadway from Hurricane Ida,” said the Louisiana National Guard in a Tweet.

Interstate 10 in Louisiana, a large freight corridor, is accessible; however, many New Orleans roadways are still heavily blocked from storm debris.

“Those people that are operating are going to have to figure out alternate routes,” Amar continued. “Sometimes, that’s going to be a local highway. Some of those streets may not be conducive to 18-wheelers driving on [them].”

Now, areas left in the aftermath of Ida’s damage are facing major issues regarding local electrical systems, as the storm brought about mass outages, according to Amar–even so much as knocking down a transmission tower. Luckily, many trucking companies in these areas have been able to stay afloat by using their backup generators–although these aren’t necessarily a long-term solution.

For example, a Gramercy-based trucking company was initially able to keep operations moving with its generators, but quickly realized there was not adequate internet connection to meet demands. Low electricity accessibility has also led to a hindrance of the fuel market, Amar explained.

Lafayette-based Dupré Logistics, which offers site logistics, freight brokerage, energy and chemical transport, and other transportation and logistics services, is able to haul fuel without proper electricity–but electricity is indeed necessary in order to pump fuel. Because of this, the company had at least 60 customers that were offline in the beginning of September.

“We are currently being directed by customers on where to deliver…[to] stations that have been assessed and have power or will be getting power via generator,” said Dupré’s director of operations for energy distribution services, Tony Becnel.

Many shippers in other states have seen further difficulty as the lack of fuel accessibility across Louisiana has caused folks living there to search out-of-state for fuel, noted Hal Miller, President of the Mississippi Trucking Association.

“Particularly in the southwest corner, there’s really a challenge there to keep the stations fueled up,” he said. “There [are] only so many trucks and drivers. They’re doing all they can do. It’s just a huge demand in a very small geographical area.”

To help ease the breadth of challenges like these and work toward recovery, agencies have begun issuing relief orders. Jim Gray, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary, signed an order at the end of August calling for a temporary suspension of specific commercial driver restrictions in regards to drivers working to clear roads of storm-caused obstructions, as well as to those working to restore power in areas with outages.

“I’m sure they appreciate some of that relief,” said Rick Taylor, President of the Kentucky Trucking Association. “If the carrier’s not comfortable with the relief, they obviously don’t have to use it.”

Additionally, provisions related to passenger-carrying vehicles and property-carrying vehicles and their maximum driving times were subject to an emergency relief declaration by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. This emergency declaration was issued for drivers working to bring emergency relief support and direct assistance within the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas.

State-by-State Infrastructure Guides Released by White House

July 20, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

By focusing on state-by-state cases of bridges and roads in dire need of reparations, the Biden Administration is working to urge republicans to ease their opposition to a bipartisan infrastructure plan. If such an agreement is reached, the administration says, its funding could help rebuild what is needed in these areas, as well as boost their broadband internet capabilities and water quality.

For the bipartisan agreement made by a group of senators, the White House is looking to achieve public backing and to convince lawmakers of the necessity of such a deal by detailing the amount of infrastructure repair needed in so many individual states across the country. Over the next few weeks, House Democrats are working to make informal negotiations to reach agreements on potential changes to be made, while Republicans are still likely to be in opposition of this bill due to its high costs.

The bipartisan bill agreement reached by the senate initially gained enough support to pass by regular order, although it saw later opposition from Republican senators after it was connected to a Democrat-backed budget bill by Biden. Still, the bill originally received backing from 21 total senators, which included 11 Republicans, and came out to propose $579 billion in new spending (or $973 billion when adding in regular maintenance spending costs).

Currently, the White House has not been able to identify the particular projects in each state that would be acted upon once that plan is officially set forth, as its framework still doesn’t have funding levels depicted on a state-by-state basis. Because of this, Congress is still negotiating specific details within each of the program’s categories.

“These state-by-state fact sheets will help folks localize the impact of these dollars, and better understand how these investments will make life better for their communities across the country,” said Emilie Simons, a spokeswoman for the White House.

“There is more work to do” to help improve living standards, reduce pollution, heal the economy, and create more jobs through the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan, according to the fact sheets. Although this new framework is a “critical step,” the fact sheets still point to the Democrats’ second bill as being a method of bringing these goals to the next level.

According to the documents, President Biden “will work with Congress to build on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework in legislation that moves in tandem, laying the foundation for a robust and equitable recovery for all Americans.”

The bipartisan Senate proposal includes $312 billion for countrywide transportation infrastructure projects–with $110 billion specifically allocated for bridges and roads. In California, 14,220 miles of highway need reparation as well as 1,536 bridges, and the state may need $51 billion to spend on drinking water infrastructure upgrades over the next two decades. Some of the framework’s funding could help cover these costs.

According to the fact sheets, Kentucky has 1,322 miles of highway needing reparations along with 1,033 bridges–and for costs in relation to roads needing repair, drivers pay around $444 a year. Still, the plan doesn’t explain exactly how much funding would be dedicated to Kentucky’s reconstruction projects.

“The need for action in Kentucky is clear” said the document. “For decades, infrastructure in Kentucky has suffered from a systemic lack of investment. In fact, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave Kentucky a C- grade on its infrastructure report card.”

7,292 miles of highway and 1,702 bridges in New York are currently considered as being in poor condition, with commute times rising by 7.4% and drivers paying around $625 annually in road repair costs. Between 2010 and 2010, the state of New York endured 31 events of extreme weather that cost around $100 billion in damages, and the plan now details its intent to allocate $47 billion to boost infrastructure updates throughout the country in areas healing from natural disasters.

$905 Million Dedicated to INFRA Grants, DOT Says

July 18, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

The U.S. Department of Transportation will be offering $905 million in Infrastructure for Rebuilding American program grants, announced Pete Buttigieg, along with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, at the end of June.

This grant program awards funds to certain transportation projects that are deemed nationally and regionally significant and aim to boost overall economic growth and public safety. 24 projects across 18 U.S. states will receive grants from these funds in their efforts, which include projects facilitating the improved movement of goods.

Of these funds, $46.8 million will likely be allocated to the Georgia Ports Authority for its efforts in building a new Gainesville inland container port near interstate 85 and interstate 985–the Northeast Georgia Inland Port. This will also be directly linked to the Port of Savannah by rail and will aim to lower amounts of truck-related pollution and overall carbon emissions, Buttigieg explained.

“This will be linked to Port of Savannah by direct 324-mile intermodal freight rail service and create meaningful economic opportunities in the region while also significantly reducing the vehicle miles traveled by truck,” said Buttigieg.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority will also receive $30 million for its traffic flow-improving construction projects between state Routes 57 and 60. The confluence of these routes has been designated as a chokepoint, Mayor Garcetti noted. Many cargo-carrying trucks bringing goods out of Los Angeles County ports often become stuck within the congestion of this corridor, and smoothing out this traffic will help the environment much more than keeping these trucks idled in traffic, Garcetti added.

“This is not going to increase our climate emissions,” he said. “This is where, notoriously, we have accidents that sometimes will take two hours to clear. These goods have to move–period. Together with the administration, we are looking at the electrification of trucks and infrastructure. But in the meantime, we expect this to be a reduction of emissions through this grant.”

The Department of Transportation has chosen the projects for funding due to their ability to create jobs and improve local and regional economies, and has also assessed how certain projects would address issues like environmental justice and racial equity. Because of these values, around 44% of this funding has been designated to rural areas that have endured long-term underinvestment.

Pennsylvania is receiving funding for one project to improve its rural freight corridor SR 61, as well as for one project to build a multi-use berth at its Port of Philadelphia. Additionally, the South Dakota Department of Transportation will receive $62.5 million to rebuild 28 miles of interstate 90 on the eastern side of the state, which will include road surface repair and replacement as well as the addition of designated truck parking spaces in both westbound and eastbound rest stops.

Under the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act of 2015, DOT must alert congressional authorizing committees in regards to the projects chosen under the INFRA grant program. Before the awards are officially finalized, the selected projects will stay with these authorizing committees for a two-month review period.

As of now, there are not yet enough resources to meet the national demand for INFRA grants–in fact, the DOT has only been able to offer funding to around one-seventh of all state projects requesting funds, Buttigieg explained. 157 applications for grants from 42 different states and Guam requested a total of $6.8 billion.

“We need to invest in our nation’s crumbling infrastructure,” said Governor Wolf. “We really need to do this. We need to return to the common attachment we all seemed to have at one point–to the idea that a robust infrastructure has always been at the heart of our national prosperity.”

The announcement of this grant comes as many lawmakers are working to reach a bipartisan infrastructure deal agreement, which was announced by a group of legislators, along with President Biden, at the end of last month.

COVID’s Economic Effect Means State Lawmakers May Raise Taxes to Fund Road and Bridge Repairs

June 12, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

States are currently “waiting to see what direction the federal government is going to be taking” in regards to raising state infrastructure taxes, according to American Road and Transportation Builders Association advocacy director, Carolyn Kramer.

Tax raising plans have seen little movement through 2021, although many Democratic and Republican lawmakers have often been in agreement in regards to these plans relating to the updating and improvement of bridges and roads throughout the country.

Additionally, the amount of infrastructure boosts and repairs needed has grown steadily while the funds available to do so have declined, likely due to revenue challenges brought about during the COVID-19 era.

However, while many states plan to raise fuel taxes as soon as possible, others aren’t currently seeing the need.

“It looks like a cruise ship sitting in a pond–that’s how much money we’re getting flowing into the state of Colorado from the federal government,” explained Senator Ray Scott of Colorado. “If Biden does get this pushed through and we have additional funding coming our way, why would we go after the taxpayer when we have ways we can handle it right now?”

Some of Colorado’s Democratic legislators plan to raise electric and hybrid vehicle sales fees, retail delivery service fees, ride-sharing company fees, and gasoline sales fees, although Senator Scott is working to create an upgraded transportation plan on any boost in federal funding.

Per capita spending on Colorado transportation has dropped by nearly half in the last 20 years, while gas tax rates throughout the states have remained the same. In regards to an updated state funding plan, Colorado hasn’t undergone a legislative hearing.

“Colorado’s transportation system is so far behind that we need federal investment and we need state-level investment,” said Senator Faith Winter.

Fewer than 170 transportation funding bills have been proposed in 2021 throughout the country, which is only half the number proposed by state lawmakers in 2019. No transportation tax rates increases have been passed, either.

In the works: President Joe Biden has proposed $135 billion for American road and bridge projects (as part of his $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan) and has also signed a coronavirus relief package–including $350 billion for state and local government projects. Many states, including Indiana and Maryland are working to use this funding on a variety of transportation upgrade projects while other states are using their allocated funds in accordance with future federal guidance.

In regards to Biden’s road and bridge funding, Republican Senators have opposed this plan with a counter proposal of $299 billion for infrastructure projects. Congress is also in the process of approving a long-term highway program renewal that would funnel billions to states on an annual basis.

Additionally, Congress is being pushed by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials to double current funding limits and bring about another $485 billion five-year highway program, along with a $200 billion road-and-bridge stimulus.

For North Dakota, recent legislature has passed a $680 million infrastructure bonding plan that would focus on flood-control infrastructure projects as well as $70 million for bridge and road projects–bonds which would be repaid with state oil tax savings earnings as opposed to the Senate-defeated 3-cent gas tax raise.

North Dakota’s bridge and road spending can be funded with the help of federal coronavirus relief package funds and possibly a federal infrastructure bill, according to North Dakota Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner. A gas tax boost is not needed thanks to the state’s oil fund, he explained.

Many states have come back quickly from the revenue obstacles brought about by COVID-19-related restrictions, even seeing budget surpluses at the hands of federal aid and income tax revenue.

“You cannot sell a tax increase to the public at a time when you’ve got something like $4 billion sitting in your checkbook,” explained Senator Tom Bakk of Minnesota. “That’s just not going to happen.”

29 states have raised fuel taxes since 2013, and these increases, for the sake of road and bridge projects, have received strong support from both republicans and democrats. Still, no states have implemented such an increase since Virginia’s fuel tax increase at the start of COVID-19’s economic effects on the country.

Still, many government officials who oppose any fuel tax increases–regardless of their potential benefit to state infrastructure–have explained that, especially coming out of coronavirus-related economic struggles, many people should not only not have to bear the burden of these revenue deficits, but too many people wouldn’t be able to afford it.

“Adding another almost 10 cents a gallon to the price of their commute, they just wouldn’t be able to handle it,” said Alaska state Representative Kevin McCabe.

$7 Million Dedicated to Illinois Truck Traffic Projects

June 8, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

ATACAMA, CHILE – NOVEMBER 14, 2015: Semi-trailer truck International Navistar at the interurban freeway.

“Illinois is the country’s transportation hub, with freight activity a cornerstone of the state’s economy,” said Omer Osman, Secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation. “At IDOT, we want our local partners to have the necessary tools to manage traffic safely and spur even more job creation and economic growth.”

$26 million has been allocated to 21 different transportation projects throughout Illinois, with IDOT distributing $7 million to projects specifically working to boost infrastructure and upgrade Illinois truck traffic accommodations.

“IDOT has awarded $7 million to put toward a total investment of $36 million for communities to better handle truck traffic and spur economic growth,” said IDOT Illinois recently in a tweet.

These funds come from IDOT’s Truck Access Route Program grants, an initiative calling for all towns, counties, and municipalities needing road upgrade assistance in regards to the transitioning of roads into designated trucks routes (that can accommodate heavy trucks) to apply.

According to Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, this funding is meant to ensure local communities have everything needed to better manage economic growth, attract more business, and improve the overall quality of life of their locals.

Projects aiming to improve designated truck route-to-business connections in efforts to boost freight traffic can receive a maximum of $900,000, IDOT explained. To apply for a grant, interested groups should list traffic figures, the number of lanes involved, and the length in both feet and miles of the project as a whole.

Out of the most recent funding, $900,000 was allocated to Champaign County, whose funds will help its County Highway 20, a north-south stretch connecting to U.S. 45 and reaching from Lake Superior to the Gulf of Mexico. $651,000 was awarded to DeKalb County, a northern Illinois town 60 miles west of Chicago, which is working to upgrade Chicago Road and its connection to Route 23. Williamson County is receiving $250,000 for its Thompsonville Road, a route connecting Corinth Road with Locust Grove Road.

Boone County is also receiving $630,000 for its Poplar Grove Road connecting the City of Belvidere to the Village of Poplar Grove, La Salle County is receiving $518,400 for its County Highway 2 connecting U.S. 34 with U.S. 52, and McLean County is receiving $366,300 for its County Highway 24 and $517.000 for its Meadows Road connecting 2555 North Road to U.S. 24.

Additionally, a Franklin County project regarding County Highway 14 was given $318,500. Franklin County is 100 miles southeast of St.Louis and reaches around the bottom half of Rend Lake, and County Highway 14 connects to north-south southern Illinois route SR 148.

Rebuild Illinois was initiated in 2019 as an infrastructure improvement initiative that would work to invest in the improvement of transit, roads, bridges, state parks, historic sites, clean water infrastructure, and education, and Pritzker announced recently that $250 million of these funds would be dedicated to Illinois transportation projects.

For county, town, and municipality-focused projects, $1.5 billion was also allocated by Rebuild Illinois. These grants will be distributed evenly throughout six installments over the next three years to local government agencies. In March, IDOT sent the third of its six $250,000 million installments as part of the overall multi-year, $33.2 billion capital program.

A job-training program was also announced by Pritzker, along with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. This effort has been created in collaboration with the Association for Supply Chain Management and aims to boost the recently unemployed or underemployed due to challenges faced throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

The job-training program is also meant to find methods of helping Illinois locals better understand and utilize the exponential growth of logistics, shipping, and e-commerce across the state–especially that which skyrocketed during the nation’s stay-at-home orders.

To funnel funds to Rebuild Illinois, the state’s fuel tax rate did increase in 2020 after doubling in 2019, with current fuel tax rates coming up to 46.2 cents per gallon for diesel and 38.7 cents per gallon for gasoline.