In This Issue

	Dangerous Road Not a Funding Priority
	NYC Congestion Pricing Unlikely to Pass
	Pricey Del. Turnpike Hikes Tolls
	Budget Stalemate Shuts Down State Services
	Highway Companies Struggle in Tough Mich. Economy
	NJ Transit Reports Record Ridership
	Rell Appoints DOT Panel
	Utah Plants Biodiesel Crops along I-15
	Double-Decked Freeways, Tolls, Tunnels, Trains Needed by 2050
	Glue Tied to Big Dig Ceiling Collapse

Dangerous Road Not a Funding Priority

Washington - Ten accidents, including two fatalities, occurred on the dangerous two-lane Highway 164 in western Washington in the past six months. State transportation officials have had many requests from local police and residents in the area to increase the safety of the highway between Enumclaw and Auburn; however a long list of safety recommendations for the scenic road are yet to be funded.

Highway 164 is listed as a high-accident road that needs to be improved. Recommendations include widening the road and installing crosswalks and flashing lights, at an estimated cost of over $200 million. But even with one fatal crash and 27 injury crashes on 164 in 2005, and nearly the same number in 2006, the high-speed highway has not been designated for safety improvements because its numbers are not the worst in the region.

Highway 2, which stretches from Everett through the Cascade Mountains, has seen a shocking number of fatal crashes: 37 in 2005, 25 in 2006, and 11 so far this year, according to State Patrol spokesman Jeff Merrill. Private driveways along 164 also pose a safety concern for officials, because when residents pull out, they are entering into fast-moving traffic.

I always cringe when the public declares a road “unsafe.” High accident numbers are generally not related to the roadway design. Most often the causes of these accidents are related to improper or unsafe actions on the part of motorists as they speed, hit animals in the road, pass other cars under unsafe conditions or are drowsy and cross centerlines or wander onto the shoulder and overcorrect. 100% adherence to seat belt usage would help. Each accident or fatality is a tragedy. A few years ago UDOT made modest improvements with passing lanes, signing about upcoming passing lanes and additional lanes in some specific areas on SR 6 that have had significant safety impacts. TW

NYC Congestion Pricing Unlikely to Pass

New York - On Sunday, supporters of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s congestion pricing plan ripped up and threw in the trash a giant $500 million check to demonstrate what state legislators would be doing if they don’t approve the plan soon. The display was to reinforce the fact that only the mayor’s plan gives the city a shot at $500 million in federal funding if approved by the deadline set by the Bush administration for this Monday.

Despite a recent report touting the congestion pricing plan as the best option to reduce traffic and air pollution in the city, the Democrat-controlled chamber seems increasingly unlikely to approve the plan. The State Assembly produced an alternate plan Monday involving tax credits for businesses that encourage employees to carpool or use mass transit. The bill also included a $500 million program to expand express bus service beyond Manhattan. Congestion pricing provisions were not included in the bill.

Mayor Bloomberg’s spokesman said one of the advantages of the congestion pricing plan would be the large-scale improvements to the area’s mass transit system before charging to drive below 86th St. in Manhattan during peak hours. Even with the backing from environmental groups and Gov. Eliot Spitzer, the plan remains stalled in Albany. Federal officials have warned they are not likely to provide the $500 million funding without legislative support.

Pricey Del. Turnpike Hikes Tolls

Delaware - The priciest toll road east of the Mississippi – a section of I-95 in Delaware – is about to become one of the most expensive in the country when the $1 toll hike takes effect Oct. 1. Currently, drivers pay 27 cents per mile to drive the 11-mile stretch. With the increase, it will cost 36 cents per mile.

AAA Mid-Atlantic spokeswoman says the Delaware toll road will come in just behind California’s as the costliest in the nation. AAA has put together a list of what tolls commuters pay in tolls in 15 states, including Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Maryland. The region’s second most-expensive tollway is the privately-owned Dulles Greenway on the outskirts of Washington, D.C.

Fortunately for Delaware residents, between 70 percent and 80 percent of the 200,000 vehicles that travel I-95 are from out of state. But those driving between D.C. and Maryland, or passing through Delaware, will soon be paying $4 each way. The Delaware Department of Transportation says the higher tolls will go toward redoing the notoriously congested I-95 and Del. 1 interchange. The department undertook a huge widening project along I-95 this summer.

Budget Stalemate Shuts Down State Services

Penn. - Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell called for a leave of absence this week for all state employees not considered critical to state health and safety because of a budget stalemate in Harrisburg. The state has been without a budget since the fiscal year began July 1. Under the deadlock, the state had no legal authority to pay workers until a budget is passed. The furlough of 25,000 state employees began at 12:01 a.m. on July 9 and was lifted at 12:01 a.m. July 12.

PennDOT felt the effects of the furlough throughout the state. The department closed 71 drivers license centers and 26 additional photo-only centers, as well as ceasing mail processing of drivers license and motor vehicle renewals. PennDOT’s 7,354 day-to-day road maintenance staff was cut to 950 to maintain nearly 40,000 miles of roads. All highway and bridge designs being performed by PennDOT employees was halted. The state also closed its 15 welcome centers.

The budget stalemate began after Republicans insisted on approving it before they would deliberate the energy fee, and Rendell’s proposal for a statewide ban on smoking, new road and mass transit funding, and borrowing for a hockey arena in Pittsburgh. According to Rendell The final $27.3 billion budget, agreed upon at about 9 p.m. Wednesday night, included $950 million to fund highway and bridge work for 15 to 20 years.

Sending non-essential state employees home is tricky business. If you need a service from the state and that employee has been sent home you probably don’t agree with their “non-essential” status. Additionally, what message do you send state employees when you keep one and send the other home? The one sent home often returns with less pride in their contribution and feels less valued by their employer. The long-term impacts on morale would make an interesting study. Having been through this exercise in my former public life and having had to do damage control with employees who were sent home, I don’t envy PennDOT having to deal with this. TW

Highway Companies Struggle in Tough Mich. Economy

LANSING, Mich. – Highway companies in Michigan are being forced to lay off workers as a weak state economy has left fewer dollars available to pay for road projects. State highway construction and maintenance funding is predicted to drop 24 percent over the next four years due to the end of a highway bond program and declining revenue; from $1.62 billion this year to $1.23 billion in 2011.

“$1.2 billion is still pretty high, historically speaking, but it’s obviously not what we’re used to,” said MDOT spokesman Bill Shreck.

Grand Rapids-based road builder Slagter Construction has cut its workforce nearly in half over the last five years, and has plans to open a Florida office for the first time. “Our Michigan business plan is nothing more than survival,” President Brian Slatger told the Detroit News.

PK Contracting, a highway striping company in Troy, is also considering opening an office in Florida. PK President Chris Shea said some of his 100 to 150 employees are only working two days a week. “We have no intention of abandoning Michigan, but by the same token it’s just a monstrous concern around here about what people are going to do,” said Shea.

NJ Transit Reports Record Ridership

New Jersey - NJ Transit posted record ridership last year, with commuters taking nearly 10 million more trips than the previous year. Ridership on NJ Transit’s trains, light rail cars and buses increased for the fourth year in a row, the agency announced Tuesday. The number of trips for last fiscal year, which ended June 30, increased 4.1 percent from 241.1 million to 250.9 million.

“Given our strong economy and job market and sustained higher fuel prices, more New Jersey residents than ever are relying on public transportation,” Gov. Jon Corzine said. “This continuing trend of record-high ridership on our state’s transit network underscores the critical need for additional capacity expansions such as the ARC project and enhanced intrastate bus service.”

Ridership on NJ Transit and the number of cars driving on New Jersey highways have increased at similar rates. Since NJ Transit began its operations as the state’s transit system in 1980, ridership has increased by 41.7 percent. The number of vehicle miles traveled on New Jersey highways since NJ Transit’s creation has increased by 45.9 percent.

Rell Appoints DOT Panel

Connecticut - The governor of Connecticut announced Tuesday that she has concluded her appointments for a commission charged with “examining and redesigning the DOT, its mission, direction, business practices and organizational structure.” The move was triggered by the discovery of a millions of dollars of construction deficiencies on a 3.5 mile redesigned section of I-84 east of Waterbury.

The commission’s full membership was announced by Gov. M. Jodi Rell just before the legislature’s transportation committee and public safety committee hearings began Wednesday on the I-84 issues. Private consultants performing repeated inspections have detailed defects in the highway project including questionable design, use of substandard materials, and poor survey work.

The governor’s commission chairman is Michael Critelli, chairman and former chief executive officer of Pitney-Bowes Corporation of Stamford. Other members include Ralph J. Carpenter, state commissioner of transportation, Robert Genuario, secretary of the state Office of Policy and Management; and Anne Gnazzo, commissioner of the state Department of Administrative Services. The commission will present its recommendations to Governor Rell on December 1.

Utah Plants Biodiesel Crops along I-15

Utah – UDOT and Utah State University researchers are conducting an experiment by planting crops along state roads, in hopes of using them to fuel state vehicles. Canola and safflower seeds were planted two months ago along I-15 in Kaysville. And even with the extremely dry, hot conditions, the canola germination rates are still 30-50% of the expectancy with normal rainfall.

This fall, researchers will press the oil from the seeds yielded by the crop and convert the oil to biodiesel fuel. The state’s entire fleet of dump trucks, graders, and tractors could be fueled if the crops are planted along 50 percent of the state’s 500,000 miles of right-of-way.

Even though the crops had a tough year, UDOT and USU have been flooded with interest in the concept from biodiesel companies and states anxious to hear the outcome of the project. “The learning curve is straight up,” said Dallas Hanks, a USU researcher. “No one else in the country has tried this. It’s very encouraging that if we modify a few things, we’ll be on our way to producing biodiesel.”

USU and Central Utah Biodiesel will work together to turn the seeds into fuel. Some planting modifications will need to be made next year, as the safflower did not come up. Project leaders will see what changes need to be made to the system after they see what the crop yields this fall.

Double-Decked Freeways, Tolls, Tunnels, Trains Needed by 2050

California - By 2050, Southern California’s infrastructure will cost $100 billion to keep up with the burgeoning population in the area, according to planners, who expect a 60% increase in residents over the period. However, some demographers believe the population will only hit those numbers if sufficient public infrastructure is provided.

Transportation agencies in the region say drastic changes are necessary to accommodate the growth, possibly including the addition of upper decks to some freeways in Los Angeles County, new rail lines and constructing freeways or tollways in Orange County and Riverside County.

The passage of a $19.9 billion transportation bond measures by California voters last November marked a milestone in the state’s transportation history. However, transportation planners and politicians have labored for decades on how to make road improvements keep up with the growing population – and some admit they have not succeeded. The number of congested highways during rush hour rose from 32% to 43% between 1992 and 2002, according to a Caltrans study.

“We already are struggling to meet the demand of the current population, and so adding to that is definitely going to be a big hurdle,” said Cheryl Donahue, spokeswoman for San Bernardino Associated Governments.

Glue Tied to Big Dig Ceiling Collapse

BOSTON - Federal investigators are blaming the fatal collapse of one of Boston’s Big Dig tunnels on the use of the wrong epoxy to hold anchor bolts in place. The National Transportation Safety Board reported Tuesday that an obscure New York industrial glue supplier, Powers Fasteners, Inc., knew or should have known that the wrong glue may have been used to secure bolts supporting the massive concrete ceiling panels, because they supplied this glue.

Investigators said Powers failed to alert investigators of the possibility that the Powers-brand epoxy – which weakens over time – may have been used when bolts holding up the ceiling on the I-90 connector tunnel began slipping during construction. This caused the panels to fall when the glue failed, and a woman was killed. Safety board officials are still determining who used the glue in the first place.

“Why didn’t Powers ask, ‘What kind of glue is being used here?’ ” Bruce Magladry, the agency’s lead investigator said in an interview Wednesday. “It was such a simple thing to ask. And Powers never asked it.” Powers has adamantly denied federal investigators claims, although officials with the company refused to cooperate with investigators during the year-long probe. A Powers employee also refused to answer questions in a deposition by invoking his fifth amendment right against self-incrimination, the federal agency’s documents reported.

The NTSB report blamed Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff, the consultant over the $15 billion project, and the builder of the ceiling, Modern Continental Co., for not monitoring the slipping bolts after the problem was identified in 1999.