[StBernard] State Has Neglected Its Infrastructure For Too Long

Westley Annis westley at da-parish.com
Thu Aug 9 20:18:19 EDT 2007


State Has Neglected Its Infrastructure For Too Long


A recent federal study by the Washington D.C. nonprofit group, TRIP, gave
Louisiana a D- for its bridges, stating that "bridge conditions in Louisiana
are below desirable standards. Fifteen percent of Louisiana's bridges are
rated as structurally deficient and 17 percent are functionally obsolete."
Although alarming, particularly in the wake of the recent tragedy in
Minnesota, the low grade should come as no surprise. The truth is that
Louisiana has been ignoring its infrastructure, including its bridges for
decades.

The TRIP report also gave the state an F in traffic safety, noting that more
than 4,700 people were killed in traffic accidents from 2001 through 2005.
Louisiana's traffic fatality rate of 2.1 fatalities per 100 million vehicle
miles of travel is 40 percent higher than the national average of 1.5. The
study also pointed out that roadway safety features such as widened lanes,
added or improved medians , improved intersection design can reduce the
number of traffic fatalities and serious accidents.

While the size of Louisiana government has grown by leaps and bounds, with
spending tripling in the last decade, one area of funding has remained
completely static, and that is our critical transportation infrastructure.
The transportation trust fund, which pays for improvements, has relied on
the same 16 cents per gallon of gasoline (irregardless of the price of the
gasoline) for decades. To add insult to injury these sorely needed
transportation funds are also allocated to pension benefits and other
non-highway related expenses (which should be paid by the general fund). The
backlog of highway projects has increased to $14 billion and the costs for
projects keep rising.

A group of House members, including myself, tried to remedy this lack of
funding by seeking an additional revenue source for highway improvements in
the form of state s ales taxes on vehicles and vehicle registration tax on
trucks and trailers, a portion of which would be returned to the particular
parish where originated. However while HB 722 passed the House unanimously,
it was killed in the Senate by those concerned about "obligating the state
to continue this revenue stream." But what higher obligation does the state
have than keeping its roads and bridges safe?

It is expected that this bill will be brought back for consideration next
year.

As discussed in a previous newsletter, SB 146, passed the legislature and
required certain excess mineral revenues to be dedicated to infrastructure
(including bridges), hurricane protection and coastal restoration. However,
this bill was vetoed by the Governor who was concerned about its impact on
health care and education, both of which are quite adequately funded.

Hopefully, the next Governor and legislature will finally prioritize our roa
ds and bridges.

Fundraiser

I also wanted to announce that I am seeking re-election to the District 89
seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives which I currently occupy. To
further my re-election bid, I am hosting a Luau fundraiser on August 17th
from 6-9 pm at the Sanctuary Club House. For more information, please
contact 985-373-3939 or you can contribute online at www.timburns.us
<http://www.timburns.us/>


Tim






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