In the News

San Francisco's I-80 ramp maze reopens sooner than expected; expert questions safety of repairs

The MacArthur Maze ramp of I-80 that collapsed after a tanker crash has reopened just 25 days after the accident, though one expert questioned the safety of the new structure. The elevated section of highway that carries traffic from the east end of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge was leveled April 29 after a gasoline tanker truck crashed and burned. Officials and commuters thought it could take months to fix. But traffic began using the new 165-foot stretch of highway May 24; the lower deck reopened within 10 days of the collapse.  Full Story

Highway officials warn Wyoming lawmakers that I-80 costs will be huge

Wyoming officials say the federal government must do more to cover the costs of handling the increase in truck traffic on Interstate 80 over the coming years. I-80, the main east-west route across the state, now averages more than 6,000 trucks a day and is expected to increase to about 12,000 a day by 2020, according to information presented by state officials at the committee meeting in Cheyenne on May 30.   Full Story

Missouri won't insist on tolls for new bridge

Missouri has proposed a scaled-down Mississippi River bridge north of the Edward Jones Dome that could be built without tolls. Illinois and Missouri officials have been at a stalemate for months over how to pay for the crossing. Illinois proposed a four-lane companion to the Martin Luther King Bridge and Missouri proposed a larger bridge funded partially with tolls. Full Story

Wakota Bridge delay angers Minneapolis lawmakers

A handful of south-metro legislators sent a letter of complaint to Minnesota Transportation Commissioner Carol Molnau in mid-May, expressing "outrage and dismay" at the delay that has postponed completion of the Wakota Bridge construction project until 2010. The bridge was originally scheduled for completion this fall, but a delay was announced last December.              Full Story

Kansas Turnpike Authority to replace spans between Lawrence interchanges

Kansas Turnpike Authority officials on Tuesday unveiled plans to replace the double bridge over the Kansas River in Lawrence at a cost of about $140 million. The project will mean higher tolls and traffic problems, but Michael Johnston, president and chief executive officer of the KTA, said the finished product will make it worth the cost and hassle.   Full Story

Boston's Big Dig price tag inches up to nearly $14.8 billion

The Big Dig has a new price tag: $14.798 billion. That's up from the long-standing bottom line of $14.625 billion, according to an agreement between the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, which oversees the massive highway project, and the state of Massachusetts. The agreement was approved following a two-hour closed-door session in mid-May.   Full Story

Highest trestle in British Comonwealth can be restored, experts say

The highest trestle in the British Commonwealth can be restored to its original glory for less than it would cost to demolish it and build a replica, says a team that specializes in restoring historic timber structures. A plan to save Canada's 86-year-old crumbling Kinsol trestle has been put together by an international team of experts.   Full Story

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Lights, camera, action...

The day-to-day work that goes into building Bay Bridge's new eastern span and tower will be immortalized in documentary footage, California transportation officials said. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission has put out a request to hire a videographer to record the details of the massive construction project and is prepared to spend up to $500,000 per year on the job. The agency will accept bids until June 21.   Full Story

Massachusetts highway design guide honored

The Massachusetts Highway Department received two more awards for the 2006 Massachusetts Project Development and Design Guide. The latest honor - the Environmental Excellence Award - was bestowed by the Federal Highway Administration at a ceremony in Little Rock, AR. In August, it will also receive the Institute for Transportation Engineers 2007 Transportation Achievement Award - its seventh award, six of which are national.   Full Story

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Funding

Minnesota veto override fails; no new transit funds

Chances of a major infusion of funds for Minnesota roads and transit fell by the wayside as an attempt to override a gubernatorial veto failed on a House vote of 83-50. Ninety votes in support, two-thirds of the House, were needed to enact the $8.3 billion, 10-year bill over Gov. Tim Pawlenty's objection. Pawlenty objected to its $6.4 billion in taxes on gasoline, vehicles and general sales in the Twin Cities. It would have raised the gas tax by 5 cents a gallon on September 1, plus another 2.5 cents over time to cover debt service on $1.5 billion in highway bonds.   Full Story

Tolls proposed to finance new bridge across Washington's Lake Washington

Tolls averaging more than $3 in each direction on Washington's State Route 520 across Lake Washington have been proposed in the latest strategy for financing a replacement for the Evergreen Point floating bridge. Building a six-lane bridge estimated to cost $4.4 billion was approved May 29 for a massive "Roads & Transit" tax proposal. The ballot measure would include $1.1 billion for replacing the 44-year-old four-lane span, which highway engineers fear could fail in a severe windstorm or earthquake.  Full Story

University of Pittsburgh: Private turnpike largely beneficial

One solution to the Pittsburgh Port Authority's mounting deficits would be leasing out the Pennsylvania Turnpike to a private operator, an idea that Gov. Ed Rendell and other Pennsylvania legislators have been tossing around for months. A 30-year lease could go for somewhere between an estimated $12 billion to $18 billion.The state then would invest that lump sum of money and collect interest on it - between 7 and 9 percent every year - in order to pay for other public investments, including the repair of roads and bridges.  Full Story

Lawmakers look for solution to Louisiana's highway conditions

Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco has set aside $450 million for highways but the state transportation office says needed road projects total $14 billion. "That's just not even a Band-Aid approach to fixing and solving the infrastructure problems we have," said Rep. Dale Erdey, R-Livingston. Over 40 bills have been filed to address the central problem how to pay for highway repairs.   Full Story

Safety Issues

British Columbia Forest Safety Ombudsman to review resource road safety

The second comprehensive review to be conducted by British Columbia's Forest Safety Ombudsman will examine resource roads and how to improve their function and safety for both people in the industry and the general public who use them. He announced the review May 24 in response to an existing and increasing concern about safety on BC roads. In particular,  concerns were raised about road maintenance, cycle times, hours of work, road construction, funding, jurisdictional responsibility and financial responsibility.  Full Story

Fall on Connecticut bridge spurs fed safety probe

Federal safety officials have launched an investigation into a workplace accident at the Milford, Connecticut's Washington Bridge, where a painter was injured Wednesday after falling off a ladder. The accident triggered an elaborate rescue as Milford Fire Department personnel placed the man on a backboard and lowered him down the side of the bridge to a Stratford police boat that transported him to shore. Full Story

Golden Gate suicide barrier is called feasible

An engineering study to test whether a suicide barrier could be built on the Golden Gate Bridge shows that it could be done in three ways without compromising the span's safety, but it would change the way the iconic bridge looks. Suicides - more than 1,250 since the bridge opened in 1937 - concern bridge officials, but so does the possibility that changes to the suspension structure could affect how it behaves in the wind, causing it to become unstable or even collapse. Aesthetics are another sticking point at the major tourist attraction and the world's number one suicide magnet. Full Story

Calendar

06/04/2007 - 06/06/2007 —  Pittsburgh, PA - 24th Annual International Bridge Conference
Sponsor: Engineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania (ESWP)

06/06/2007 - 06/08/2007 — Seattle, WA - Roundabout Design Workshop
Sponsor: Northwestern University Center for Public Safety (NUCPS) 

06/13/2007 - 06/17/2007 — Milwaukee, WI - 10th Annual Snow & Ice Symposium
Sponsor: Snow & Ice Management Association, Inc. (SIMA)
 

For our full events calendar, go to http://www.betterroads.com/calendar

Economic Indicators

Construction Spending

Total construction activity for April 2007 ($1,190.0 billion) was 0.1 percent above the revised March 2007 ($1,188.9 billion). For further details: Click Here . 5/31/07

New Home Sales

Sales of new one-family houses in April 2007 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 981,000. This is 16.2% above the revised March 2007 figure of 844,000. 5/24/07

Advance Report on Durable Goods Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders

New orders for manufactured durable goods in April increased $1.3 billion or 0.6 percent to $217.9 billion. 5/24/07

Housing Starts/Building Permits

Privately-owned housing starts in April 2007 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,528,000. This is 2.5 percent above the revised March 2007 estimate of 1,491,000. 5/16/07

Compiled by Larry Green, news editor, Better Roads.  To contact Larry about the newsletter content, send e-mail to .

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