Maryland spends on maintenance, not new roads, transit
A new report from smart growth advocates praises Maryland for spending nearly all of its transportation stimulus money on maintaining or repairing existing roads, not building new ones. Critics immediately pounced on the strategy as wasteful because, some apparently concluded, anything that doesn’t relieve existing traffic congestion is an extravagance.
But resurfacing roads, upgrading traffic controls, installing traffic barriers and similar projects can not only help keep traffic moving, but they are also critical for preventing accidents and keeping insurance costs down. A recent national study found that road-related conditions — ranging from pot holes to bad design (too-narrow shoulders or a lack of pavement markings are prime examples) — were a factor in 22,000 fatalities and cost the public about $217.5 billion each year.
Maryland’s $225 million in highway stimulus spending can’t fix all the problems. Highway maintenance needs easily surpass that figure — the recession has already caused the state to cut back on transportation spending by more than $1 billion over the next six years.
What do you think? Was this the right way to spend the money? How should the state handle its future transportation needs?
(Sun photo)
Comments
In general I agree. Improving what we have and maintaining it are worthy goals. I wish we would move all utilities out from under the streets and put them under the parking areas, breakdown lanes, and especially sidewalks so that repairs would not disrupt traffic and the refinishing of the surfaces would not be as expensive, as these areas do not get the wear and tear that the driving areas receive.
To cut down on the wear and tear and subsequent resurfacing, I would propose funding only smaller, lighter buses and more rail if additional monies are available. Large trucks and heavy buses can cause 5 times the damages to our infrastructure when compared to that caused by cars so it can save money to eliminate them. More rail can take trucks off of our roads and highways.
Posted by: John H Clemson | July 6, 2009 8:07 PM