Highway boom?

Transportation bill has minimal impact so far

By June Mathews

On Aug. 10, President George W. Bush signed the "Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Act - A Legacy for Users" at a Caterpillar manufacturing facility in Illinois.

The sweeping legislation authorized that $286.4 billion be distributed among the states to fund transportation-related projects ranging from highways and bridges to bicycle paths.

The measure calls for each state's share to be determined by its contributions through the federal gas tax to the Highway Trust Fund. Passed two years after the 1998-2003 transportation bill had expired, the legislation covers the years 2004 through 2009. Temporary extensions kept money flowing to the states while the newer, more generous bill was hammered out.

But is "generous" really the case?

"We're happy they passed the bill," said Randy Ort, public affairs officer with the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. "We were operating on a series of continuing resolutions and that makes it hard to plan for the future. But in reality, we're not seeing the big increases we had expected."

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Ort noted, however, that much of the SAFETEA-LU money was earmarked for local projects that may or may not involve roadways. He also pointed out that some state highway funds had recently been rescinded, further affecting how much federal money was available for state roads.

A notice issued by the Federal Highway Administration at the end of 2005 required each state to surrender its share of $1.99 billion in allocated highway program dollars within 30 days.

"So we're probably getting less then we were before, at least in dollars that can be used at the state commissioners' discretion," Ort said. "We can make longer range plans, but we're disappointed at the level of the funding at this point."

Jackie Duckworth, director of programming for the Mississippi Department of Transportation had much the same view. Although pleased to finally have legislation for funding highways in place, he feels that the reality of the bill doesn't live up to its pre-passage publicity.

"I think Mississippi benefits as a whole, but it's turned out to be more about the locals benefiting through earmarking," he said. "Now MDOT is having to oversee projects we didn't schedule and we're having to administer the funds.

"But we're not whining," he added. "We're glad to have the money we're getting. I have to admit, though, it was a bit of a disappointment."

Earmarking also put a dent in expectations at the Tennessee Department of Transportation. Paul Degges, TDOT's chief engineer, said that although having a known funding bill in place enables his department to plan for the future, SAFETEA-LU has so far not provided the windfall he expected.

"There was somewhat of a reduction in funds and shifts in where the funds were going," he said. "In Tennessee, we've had $550 million in earmarks with half the money going to projects TDOT is not participating in."

Degges also cited overall price increases as a factor in how far any funding - no matter the amount or source - will go.

"While there may be growth in funding, it's being offset by rising costs," he said. "The amount of transportation services is going to be affected by that."

Regardless of the amount of federal funds allocated to highway and bridge construction in the south central states, activity continues on several major projects across the region.

Following is a sampling:

U.S. Hwy. 84, Lawrence County, Mississippi. In 1987, the Mississippi Legislature passed a long-range highway program. Established in three phases (a fourth was added in 2002), the program called for the construction of 1,077 mi. of four-lane highways all over the state.

The goal of the program was to place every Mississippian within 30 mi. or 30 minutes of a four-lane roadway. In 2006, the Mississippi Department of Transportation continues to make great strides toward that goal.

One of the projects currently underway is the four-laning of U.S. Hwy. 84 in Lawrence County from the Lincoln County line east to Old MS Hwy. 27 at Monticello. Jason Brewer, a project manager with W.E. Blain & Sons Inc. of Mount Olive, Miss., said work began on this 8-mi. stretch of southern Mississippi roadway (one of two current projects in the Monticello area) in March 2005.

"Basically, the dirt work has been done and we're putting the asphalt down," he said. "When we get through with this lane, we'll open it to traffic and start tearing out the old lane and doing the dirt work on it."

Brewer estimates that about a third of the $14.1 million project has been completed.

Hall of Fame Drive, Knoxville, Tenn. Keeping Tennessee motorists moving is a big job. According to the Tennessee Department of Transportation, the Volunteer State has more than 87,000 mi. of roadways - enough to circle the world more than three times. Included in those roadways are 13,752 mi. of state-maintained highways and 1,074 mi. of interstate.

In mid-2005, the TDOT announced its largest construction project ever - an $85 million series of bridge and road improvements to Interstate 40 in Knoxville, the construction of a new Hall of Fame Drive and a reconfiguring of James White Parkway. Ray Bell Construction Co. of Brentwood was awarded the contract.

Bruce Nicely, vice-president of the company's bridge division, said the current phase of the project began in mid-2005 and must finish by September 2007. Otherwise, the company could suffer financial penalties.

"The schedule is very demanding," Nicely said. "We're on a 'no excuses' deadline and the TDOT will not give an extension."

The project is part of TDOT's SmartFIX program, designed to accelerate the construction process in order to condense the time normally taken for highway and bridge projects.

The concept calls for short-term total road or bridge closures and around-the-clock work. The I-40/Hall of Fame Drive/James White Parkway project is the state's first SmartFIX project.

U.S. Hwy. 80, Sumter County, Ala. Winding southwestward from Montgomery through several Alabama Black Belt counties to the Mississippi state line is U.S. Hwy. 80/Ala. Hwy. 8. A two-lane portion of the old historic road is now being upgraded.

The $27.4 million project includes expanding a 5-mi. stretch of roadway to four lanes, building a bridge over the Tombigbee River and constructing four smaller bridges in the area's flood plain. The expansion will run from just across the Marengo County line to the Ala. Hwy 28 intersection just south of the community of Coatopa.

"This is the last section of Highway 80 that hasn't been four-laned," said Sam Poynter Jr. of R.R. Dawson Bridge Co. of Bessemer. "We started on it last spring and we should be finished later this year. Some steel girders we've ordered are set to come in May and we'll be able to finish soon after that."

Before the project began last year, it was billed by Gov. Bob Riley as "the single largest non-interstate construction job taking place in Alabama." Local leaders hope the upgrades will not only make Highway 80 safer but will attract industry to the economically deprived area.

Walnut Grove Road, Shelby County, Tenn. The U.S. Census Bureau ranks Tennessee among the 15 fastest-growing states, with projections calling for the state's population to increase by 40 percent during the next 20 to 25 years. Naturally, as the population grows so does the number of vehicles on road. And so does traffic congestion.

Thus, the TDOT is constantly working to upgrade and expand the state's road system to accommodate the crowd. The Walnut Grove Road project is part of that effort. General contractor for the project is Dement Construction Co. of Jackson.

"I believe about 60,000 vehicles a day go through there," said Ty Capps, vice president of Dement's bridge division.

Capps said that plans for the $36 million East Memphis project call for a wider, taller bridge over I-240, widening Walnut Grove Road to eight lanes, building three bridges over the Wolf River and constructing an interchange at Humphreys Boulevard.

Work began on the Walnut Grove project in late summer 2005. The scheduled completion date is December 2008 but work is running about six months ahead of schedule.

I-20 Eastaboga Interchange, Talladega County, Alabama. The main connection between Birmingham, Ala., and Atlanta, Ga., stays hot. One of the most heavily traveled roads in the Southeast, Alabama's part of Interstate 20 is also one of the most dangerous for crossover accidents. But the Alabama Department of Transportation is bit-by-bit working to change that. One of the latest portions of I-20 to be addressed is a nearly 5.5-mi. stretch just west of the Eastaboga interchange near Talladega Superspeedway.

"We're getting rid of dilapidated pavement and adding more capacity for the roadway," said DeJarvis Leonard, an engineer with ADOT's fourth division. "We have about 40,000 vehicles on that stretch of road per day and about half of those are trucks."

The road will be expanded from four to six lanes and in some places median barrier wall will be installed. Construction on the $28.4 million project began in mid-summer 2005 and is more than 30 percent complete.

The general contractor on the project is McCartney Construction Co. of Gadsden, Ala.