Infrastructure News Summary
For May 13, 2008
A TRANSPORTATION CROSSROADS
Washington Post
Judith Rodin
5/9/08
All the gas tax talk has stirred up a storm. Whatever you think about the
candidates' proposals, however, their debate has illuminated an urgent reality:
If the U.S. government continues with its current transportation policies, it
will undermine the social and economic security of our workforce and accelerate
global climate change. We must chart a new course, rebuilding America's
overburdened and, in many cases, obsolete transportation infrastructure while
addressing these two 21st-century imperatives. The good news is that we can
tackle these challenges head-on -- with immediate benefits for our lagging
economy. In the short term, "fix it first" strategies can repair
existing infrastructure rather than beginning new construction, thus containing
our carbon footprint. The Economic Policy Institute, for example, determined
that, within 90 days, repair work could begin on 6,000 structurally deficient
bridges across the country for about $30 billion, creating hundreds of thousands
of jobs. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/08/AR2008050802810.html
DRIVERS TO FEEL IMPACT OF 'PROJECT OPEN MARKET' CONSTRUCTION
WISHTV
Jennifer McGilvray
5/12/08
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Commuters need to start paying attention to some road closures as they travel through downtown Indianapolis. Drivers may have already noticed work taking place in the area of College Avenue and Washington Street due to "Project Open Market" construction. But, the first major impact to drivers will be felt next week on May 19. College Avenue will be completely closed and Washington Street will be down to two lanes in each direction. The Department of Public Works says this is just the first of major lane closures and restrictions that will take place all summer long. http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8310687&nav=0Ra7DPeQ
IND 149 BETWEEN US 12 AND 20 RESTRICTED TO TWO LANES
Chesterton Tribune
5/12/08
Ind. 149 between U.S. Highway 12 and U.S. Highway 20 in Burns Harbor will be restricted to one lane in each direction through mid July during a re-surfacing project, the Indiana Department of Transportation said. The work scheduled is subject to change in the event of inclement weather. INDOT reminds motorists to use caution and consider worker safety when traveling through a construction zone. http://www.chestertontribune.com/PoliceFireEmergency/ind_149_between_us_12.htm
TIME TO FACE REALITY ON GASOLINE PRICES
South Bend Tribune
Dan Carter
5/12/08
I too am frustrated about price of gasoline, but it's time we all stop
bellyaching and face the facts -- gasoline prices aren't coming down and there's
virtually nothing our government can do about it. The only way we can get the
price to drop is for all of us to use less. It's a market-driven issue, not a
legislative one. What about fixing gasoline prices? Fix gasoline prices and
you'll have the shortages and outages of the '70s. Would you rather have no
gasoline at $3 a gallon, or plenty of gas at $5 a gallon? What about a federal
gasoline tax vacation?
http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080512/Opinion/805120374/1063/Opinion
NEW STUDY MAKES CASE FOR MAPLECREST ROAD EXTENSION
Indiana's News Center
Jeff Neumeyer
5/12/08
FORT WAYNE, IN (Indiana's NewsCenter) --- Results of a feasibility study suggest it would be a wise financial decision to push ahead with the costly Maplecrest Road extension. The Allen County Commissioners are now unanimously behind moving forward with the 1.2 mile road extension south from Lake Avenue to State Road 930 on the edge of New Haven. The project would complete a major north-south corridor on the east side of Fort Wayne. The price tag for the county would be about 33-million dollars, but the commissioners say a study they paid for bears out that 930 construction jobs will be created in the building phase, dumping 86-million dollars into the local economy immediately. http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/local/18867404.html
ELKHART COUNTY: MAJOR BRIDGE PROJECTS DELAYED
CONSTRUCTION TIMED TO MINIMIZE TRAFFIC CHAOS
The Truth Newspaper
5/13/08
ELKHART -- The Johnson Street Bridge project has been delayed, but hardly forgotten. According to the updated project timeline, released Monday, construction of the new crossing that will replace the bridge span now carrying northbound traffic will start July 7 and end Aug. 6, 2010. The highway department had hoped to start April 7 and finish Oct. 16, 2009, according to an earlier timeline, but pinning down plan particulars delayed the process. Likewise, replacement of Six Span Bridge connecting C.R. 17 across the St. Joseph River east of Elkhart will be put off, with work to start Oct. 6 and finish more than two years later, on Oct. 14, 2011. It originally was to have started on July 14, with a Dec. 24, 2010, finish date. The delays in the Johnson Street project factored in moving the Six Span project back, according to officials in the Elkhart County Highway Department. http://www.etruth.com/Know/News/Story.aspx?ID=449507