Driving on empty
Published March 29, 2014
Editorial by Greensboro News-Record, March 28, 2014.
State road crews did an outstanding job this winter of clearing ice and snow from highways.
Clearing a backlog of other maintenance needs will be even more challenging and expensive, especially as traditional funding sources evaporate.
A new report by TRIP, a national transportation research group, and the North Carolina Chamber Foundation breaks down the annual costs of roads that are in poor condition, unsafe or overly congested: more than $1,100 for every driver.
A number like that gets attention — perhaps more so than figures in the billions of dollars. The N.C. Department of Transportation plans to spend $15 billion on hundreds of projects over 10 years. It’s hard to put that in perspective but easier to understand how potholes cost us more money for car maintenance, or high accident rates lead to rising insurance premiums, or traffic jams burn more gasoline.
The TRIP/Chamber report calculates the costs of those kinds of problems. Triad drivers, it says, pay less than the state average: $1,069 each for additional repairs, tire wear, fuel consumption, lost time and other expensive setbacks. The costliest place to drive, not surprisingly, is Charlotte at $1,513 per motorist.
Half of the pavement on major North Carolina roads and highways is rated less than good — a hard assessment for the former Good Roads State. And about one-third of bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, according to the report.
Businesses lose money, too.
“Increasingly, companies are looking at the quality of a region’s transportation system when deciding where to relocate or expand,” the report says. So, investing in transportation infrastructure makes sense for everyone. But that’s where other problems have an impact.
“North Carolina is the fourth-fastest-growing state in the country,” N.C. DOT says on its website. “However, at the same time that our state’s population is increasing, NCDOT’s revenue stream is decreasing. The state gas tax, the Highway Use Tax and DMV fees no longer provide enough funding to make all the transportation improvements North Carolina needs to attract new industry, connect people to greater opportunities and reduce congestion. Over the next 10 years, our state expects to see a population increase of 1.3 million and a $1.7 billion decrease in transportation revenue.”
Add the potential decline in federal funding, and the outlook is icy. Gov. Pat McCrory warned business leaders this week that the state could lose $1 billion if Congress fails to pass a new transportation bill this year.
DOT’s long-term plan focuses on high-priority projects while seeking operational efficiencies. That will only go so far down the road. Eventually, it also will need new revenue, through tolls or taxes paid based on miles driven rather than gasoline consumed.
Could policy makers sell motorists on the idea of paying an additional $100 in highway taxes each year if road improvements might save them $200?
Road needs won’t just melt away with warmer weather.
