County Commission | The Magazine December 2018 | 页面 11

NEWS YOU CAN USE
New ACCA Research Shines
Light on Crumbling County
Roads and Bridges
Findings from the ACCA Road and Bridge Data Collection
Survey were released in early December, giving county leaders
up-to-date statistics heading into the 2019 Regular Session of the
Alabama Legislature.
“Counties truly owe a debt of gratitude to each other for
investing the staff time to provide this invaluable data,” said
ACCA Executive Director Sonny Brasfield. “Taken together, the
information paints a vivid and alarming picture of county roads
and bridges today and in the next five years.”
The survey is a sequel to “A Silent Crisis,” a publication from
the Association of County Engineers of Alabama that used 2010
data to sound the alarm about inadequate funding for local roads
and bridges. The 2018 update, called “The Silence is Broken:
Continuing the Conversation,” details the substantial shortfall
of available funding compared to the needed infrastructure
maintenance and improvements.
Find data on roads and bridges, reported on a
county-by-county basis, on page 15-16. Five-year
projections with current funding are included.
Statewide Task Force to
Release Findings
Weight-Limited Bridges
Cause Costly Detours
• Some 45% of county bridges are 50 or more years old,
making them overdue for rehabilitation or replacement.
• Older bridges are more likely to have posted weight
limits, which interfere with the flow of regular traffic.
• Drivers must take detour routes that can add miles to
their trips, extending the school day for students and
delaying emergency responders.
• Affected vehicles often include school buses, log trucks,
delivery vehicles, ambulances and fire trucks.
Here’s an
example
showing how
weight-limited
bridges
impede
travel in one
Alabama
county.
A wealth of new data and analysis is forthcoming from the
Alabama Transportation Institute, which has provided technical
support to the infrastructure task force commissioned this year
by Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh and House Speaker
Mac McCutcheon.
The full-length report, “Alabama 2040: Transportation
Infrastructure System Needs and Challenges,” is scheduled for
release to the public before March 5, the start date for the 2019
Regular Session of the Alabama Legislature.
In the meantime, the Institute will publish a series of short,
single-issue reports. In two pages or less, each one will provide
an examination of an important topic, such as “Historical and
Projected Vehicle Miles Traveled in Alabama,” “Characteristics
of Freight Movement on the State Roadway Network” and “What
Does It Cost to Maintain a Road?”
The infrastructure task force,
which has served to convene a
broad and growing list of interested
stakeholders, is organized into five
working groups focused on physical
infrastructure, revenue, ports and
waterways, technology, and policy
recommendations.
County leaders have been
actively engaged in the task force,
with participation from ACCA and
affiliate groups for county engineers
and emergency managers.
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