July 2003
Compiled by Angie Moehlman
Alabama
GUNTERSVILLE—According to the Associated Press, Vulcan Materials is planning a quarry in Marshall County. Vulcan applied for water and air permits from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management for a 353-acre site. The project would cost about $4 million and would employ about 15 workers.
Alaska
JUNEAU—According to the Alaska Journal of Commerce, the amount of money being spent on public works projects is down about 10 percent compared to last year, and private construction projects are off by about 17 percent. Economist Neal Fried said more than half of the 16,000 construction jobs in the state were based in Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valley.
Arizona
PHOENIX—The State Transportation Board awarded a $31.9 million contract to Edward Kraemer & Sons, Inc., of Phoenix, to build a two-mile extension of the Loop 202 Santan Freeway in Chandler.
Arkansas
LITTLE ROCK—According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, former U.S. Representative Jay Dickey has made a career out of lobbying. His clients include Pine Bluff Sand and Gravel Co. and Stephens, Inc. For Pine Bluff Sand and Gravel Co., Dickey is lobbying Congress for approval to deepen the Arkansas River to a consistent 12 ft. The river is 9 ft. in about 13 places along the river, and Pine Bluff wants to dredge the river.
California
LOS ANGELES—According to The Daily News of Los Angeles, U.S. District Court Judge Dickran Tevrizian ruled that the analysis of the traffic that would be created at Cemex’s sand and gravel mine in Soledad Canyon is adequate and does not need to be reviewed again by Los Angeles County officials or the public.
Colorado
DENVER—According to the States News Service, New York University researchers reported that Colorado would gain more than $17.5 million in additional federal highway funding next year under a proposal that would change the government’s formula for distributing transportation dollars.
Connecticut
HARTFORD—According to the Hartford Courant, an advisory committee voted unanimously in support of Interstate 95 improvements that include the study of reconfiguring certain ramps or closing them during peak traffic hours. Also, in spite of opposition from several Fairfield County lawmakers, the use of highway tolls to pay for I-95 improvements remains an option.
Delaware
DOVER—According to The News Journal, Delaware has traditionally received the minimum possible amount of federal highway funding. According to state officials, as long as any new plan does not change the minimum or the total amount of money set aside for surface transportation, Delaware’s federal funding for road and bridge projects should not change. Under the previous federal highway program, Delaware received an average of $121 million a year for the past four years. Under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act proposal, Delaware would get an average of $129 million a year over the next six years.
Florida
FORT LAUDERDALE—According to the Sun-Sentinel, Florida Senate Bill 676 was amended late in the legislative session to include the rule: “Notwithstanding any general law or special act, regulations of any county, municipality, or special district shall not apply to existing or future transportation facilities, or appurtenances thereto, on the State Highway System.” The League of Cities believes the bill threatens a range of local regulations affecting highway construction. Those regulations govern noise pollution by construction machinery, tree removal, protection of wetlands, and other environmentally sensitive areas, and rules limiting where undesirable things can be placed, such as road-building equipment parking lots.
Georgia
ATLANTA—According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that former Governor Roy Barnes did not violate the state Constitution with an $822 million loan program to pay for roads and transit. The decision upheld a lower court ruling against citizen activists, who accused state officials of taking on debt without the approval of the General Assembly.
Hawaii
HONOLULU—According to a University of Hawaii study, Hawaii did well in the latest “Click It or Ticket” seat belt campaign held last month. The study found that 91.8 percent of drivers and passengers in the front seat of vehicles were buckled up, based on the state’s mandatory seat belt law. Last year, Hawaii had a 90.4 percent seat belt usage rate, third highest in the nation. Because of Hawaii’s high seat belt usage during the last two Click It Or Ticket campaigns, the state could qualify for at least $1 million in additional federal highway safety funding each year over the next six years, according to state Department of Transportation director Rod Haraga.
Idaho
BOISE—A new law requiring everyone in a vehicle to be properly restrained and doubling the fine for violators went into effect July 1. ITD’s Office of Highway Safety encourages Idahoans to “Click It, Don’t Risk It” to avoid a citation for failing to buckle up. The Office of Highway Safety allocated $200,000 to 43 law enforcement agencies in Idaho to help fund the safety restraint enforcement patrols. These funds, received through a grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), are dedicated to increasing safety restraint use in Idaho.
Illinois
OREGON—According to the Rockford Register Star, Rcokford resdient James McKnight testified last month during a public hearing for a special-use permit before the Ogle County Zoning Board of Appeals. McKnight wants to build a rock quarry, but was denied when he made his request three years earlier. McKnight stated that the need for limestone in Chicago and the surrounding area is reason enough to build another quarry on 153.93 acres east of Monroe Center on Illinois 72.
Indiana
MARTINSVILLE—According to The Indianapolis Star, residents of the Legendary Hills subdivision filed a formal complaint with the Martinsville Plan Commission, asking how a sand and gravel mine could be allowed without notifying the residents, without a public hearing, and without rezoning from farm to business. The property is owned by David Ellis, who is also a Legendary Hills resident. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources issued a permit for the 352-acre mining operation in the floodway, including construction of two buildings and six stockpiles of mined materials up to 20 ft. high and 50 ft. wide.
Iowa
DUBUQUE—According to the Telegraph Herald, a bill signed in May by Governor Tom Vilsack will transfer about 700 miles of state highway to the jurisdiction of local cities and counties. Dubuque County will take over 7.5 miles of road from the state, including some heavily traveled roads. Dubuque County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jim Waller said the county will be hard-pressed to take on additional road projects. Dubuque County Engineer Mark Jobgen said the county will receive maintenance funds from the state, but no funds will be forthcoming for the reconstruction of former state highways.
Kansas
TOPEKA—The Kansas Department of Transportation selected 48 projects for inclusion in its Transportation Enhancement program for Federal Fiscal Years 2004 and 2005. Transportation Enhancement projects under this federal program include facilities for pedestrians and bicycles; pedestrian and bicycle safety and education activities; acquisition of scenic or historic easements and sites; scenic or historical highway programs; landscaping and scenic beautification; historic preservation; rehabilitation and operation of historic transportation buildings, structures or facilities; conversion of abandoned railway corridors to trails; control or removal of outdoor advertising; archaeological planning and research; and establishment of transportation museums. Total cost for the 48 selected projects is $23.5 million.
Kentucky
FRANKFORT—According to The Bond Buyer, Indiana and Kentucky officials recently stated that Garvees and other municipal binding options will help finance two bridges that will be built across the river. Officials expect to have approval for the $1.9 billion project this summer. Congress has approved about $50.6 million in federal highway funds to help finance the Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project.
Louisiana
BATON ROUGE—According to The Advocate, an assessment by Mike McDaniel, air quality consultant, stated that failure of the five-parish Baton Rouge metropolitan area to meet ozone attainment levels this summer could mean motorists would have to pay 10 to 15¢ more for the reformulated gasoline they would be required to purchase. Currently, the area is just outside the attainment level established by the Clean Air Act of 1990. The Department of Transportation and Development plans to ease congestion by canceling road construction work on days when it appears the area might not meet attainment standards.
Maine
CALAIS—According to the Bangor Daily News, local leaders want Congress to fast-track construction of a $40 million third bridge across the St. Croix River. The bridge would connect Calais with St. Stephen and New Brunswick.
Maryland
BALTIMORE—According to The Baltimore Sun, a report by The Road Information Program stated that the Baltimore region ranks seventh worst in the nation for the quality of its roads. The report found that 49 percent of the region’s roads were unacceptable.
Massachusetts
BOSTON—According to a report by New York University researchers, Massachusetts would lose more than $37 million in federal highway funding next year under a proposal that would change the government’s formula for distributing transportation dollars.
Michigan
SOUTHFIELD—According to The Detroit News, members of Metropolitan Organizing Strategy Enabling Strength (MOSES), are taking action against lawmakers’ plans for new road construction instead of repairing existing deteriorating roads. MOSES members attracted attention by standing on old bridges wearing hard hats, and holding signs that read “Fix It First.”
Minnesota
ST. PAUL—According to the Associated Press, a borrow-now, pay-later transportation funding plan was agreed upon in the 2003 legislative session. The $3.8 billion bill includes money to run the state transportation and public safety departments. The state would borrow $400 million and seek $300 to $500 million in federal funds ahead of schedule to pay for up to $900 million in construction work over the next four years.
Mississippi
BILOXI—According to The Sun Herald, Harrison County supervisors are considering adopting a noise ordinance that would restrict hours of operation for heavy industry. The county’s proposed ordinance could go against federal and state highway construction rules. Many MDOT contracts say that paving and construction should be done at night to decrease traffic delays and for safety reasons.
Missouri
ST. LOUIS—According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Mary Lamie, acting director of the Illinois Department of Transportation’s district office in Collinsville, Ill., stated that if Congress would allocate $650 million in the next six-year federal highway bill, Missouri and Illinois would match the funds for work on a new Mississippi River bridge and related highway approaches.
Montana
GREAT FALLS—According to the Great Falls Tribune, construction on the 16.4 mile stretch of Highway 87/89 is set to start in mid-2005. The $12 to $15 million project will widen the road to five lanes. At present, 4,380 vehicles travel the stretch of road each day. By 2024 that number is predicted to grow to 7,500 vehicles, making the widening project necessary for safety and convenience, said Montana DOT Great Falls District Administrator Mick Johnson.
Nebraska
LINCOLN—According to the Associated Press, a Missouri River bridge project in eastern Nebraska is among projects that have received federal funding. The river bridge project will receive $2.1 million. Two bridges between Bellevue and Plattsmouth will help link Interstate 29 in Iowa with U.S. Highway 75 in Nebraska. Also, a $2.5 million grant was awarded to fund statewide implementation of Nebraska’s Intelligent Transportation System. The system includes dynamic message signs, advanced weather information devices, video traffic systems, advanced traveler information services, and weight-in-motion facilities along highways.
Nevada
CARSON CITY—According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the state Assembly voted 33 to 9 to lower the minimum blood alcohol level for drunken driving to 0.08 percent. If the Legislature does not reduce the standard, Nevada’s DOT will lose $28.4 million in federal highway construction funds during the next four years.
New Hampshire
MANCHESTER—According to The Union Leader, the Department of Transportation has about 90 projects with price tags totaling $140 million in various stages of development.
New Jersey
WILDWOOD—According to the Associated Press, the Army Corps of Engineers is investigating the possibility of mining sand at Wildwood’s beach and pumping the sand onto eroded beaches in North Wildwood and Cape May as a beach replenishment solution.
New Mexico
SANTA FE—According to the National Journal’s CongressDaily, the state gasoline tax was scheduled to fall from 17¢ a gallon to 16¢ as the last step in a 1995 law eliminating a 6¢ gas tax increase enacted a decade ago. However, the 1¢ reduction was scrapped by legislation approved earlier this year and signed by Governor Bill Richardson. Keeping the tax in place will provide about $6 million a year to the state for roads. Cities and counties will keep almost $2 million in revenues for their roads.
New York
MANLIUS—According to The Post-Standard, state Supreme Court Justice Edward Carni rejected a move by the town of Manlius and Kinsella to have the Changing Seasons residents lawsuit thrown out of court. Residents of Changing Seasons are trying to prevent T.H. Kinsella, Inc., from expanding limestone mining operations to a 29-acre site in the company’s quarry on Route 5. In 1995, state Supreme Court Justice Parker Stone ruled a proposal to rezone 40 acres in the quarry to allow mining would be impermissible spot zoning and violate a restrictive covenant barring expansion of the mining operations into a surrounding buffer zone.
North Carolina
CHARLOTTE—According to the Charlotte Observer, Governor Mark Sanford signed a bill last month that lowers the blood alcohol content standard from 0.10 to 0.08 percent. The law may make the state eligible for certain federal highway funds.
North Dakota
BISMARCK—According to the North Dakota DOT’s website, www.state.nd.us/dot, North Dakota has more miles of road per capita than any state in the nation. There are approximately 166 miles of road for every 1,000 people.
Ohio
COLUMBUS—According to the Mansfield News Journal, additional funds for the U.S. 30 widening project and a delay in the I-71 project top the Ohio DOT’s list of construction priorities.The $129.8 million U.S. 30 widening project will receive $38 million in already committed funds to complete work by the end of 2003. The widening of I-71 will finish in 2004 as scheduled, but the extension of the project will be delayed until 2007.
Oklahoma
OKLAHOMA CITY—According to the Daily Oklahoman, U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta recently announced that Oklahoma highway projects will receive $6.6 million in federal transportation funds.
Oregon
PORTLAND—According to The Oregonian, state regulators are poised to accept Ross Island Sand & Gravel’s scaled-down plan for reclaiming the Willamette River Island. The deal could clear the way for the company to give Ross Island back to the city by the end of Mayor Vera Katz’s current term in 2004. City officials plan to turn the island into a wildlife park or refuge.
Pennsylvania
CHAMBERSBURG—Valley Quarries, Inc., received a Community Relations Good Neighbors Gold Medallion for excellence in community relations from the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association for its multi-media presentation “Stay Out — Stay Alive.” Produced by John Englerth, health/safety coordinator, the program is aimed at preventing injuries and fatalities that occur when adults and children play or swim in active or abandoned quarries.
Rhode Island
SMITHFIELD—The Rhode Island Statewide Planning Program, in cooperation with the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) and the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA), held the first in a series of seven public workshops to identify and prioritize transportation issues and generate goals and a vision for the state’s transportation corridors last month.
South Carolina
GREENVILLE—According to The Greenville News, the Greenville County Transportation Committee agreed to pay $140,000 to change the grade and curvature of Crestwood Drive to lengthen the sight distance for motorists trying to enter Poinsett Highway. The state Department of Transportation estimates that 31,100 vehicles a day traveled on Poinsett Highway near Crestwood in 2002.
South Dakota
MINNEHAHA COUNTY—According to the Argus Leader, the Minnehaha County Commission recently voted unanimously to deny Dakota Road Builders a conditional-use permit. Doug and Lincoln Rupp, owners of Dakota Road Builders, say their current gravel pit will be depleted in five to seven years, so they need to expand.
Tennessee
NASHVILLE—According to The Commercial Appeal, Tennessee balanced its $21.5 billion budget by cutting spending and cutting aid to local governments. The budget redirected $65 million in fuel tax revenue out of the Department of Transportation, where it has been earmarked for highway maintenance for years, into the state’s general fund. The result will be less highway construction projects in the next fiscal year.
Texas
AUSTIN—According to the Fort Worth Star Telegram, House Bill 3358, touted as the largest transportation bill in the history of Texas, won unanimous approval in the Senate. Under the bill, the transportation commission could appropriate up to 20 percent of the state’s highway reimbursements from Washington, levy tolls and other user fees, accept donations and private investments, collect money from motorists who get excessive tickets, tap the Texas Mobility Fund, and issue debt.
Utah
SALT LAKE CITY—According to the Associated Press, the Utah Board of Oil, Gas, and Mining revoked Dan Powell’s small-mining license for his Cherry Hill Park Mine above
Spanish Fork Canyon because of expanded mining activity beyond what was allowed by his permit. Powell also failed to pay a $43,500 reclamation bond required for larger mines.
Vermont
MONTPELIER—Governor Jim Douglas and Transportation Secretary Patricia McDonald announced that Vermont’s Agency of Transportation has received several more awards for the quality of the agency’s work. The American Consulting & Engineering Counsel of Vermont (ACEC) awarded the Agency of Transportation and Clough, Harbour & Associates the 2003 Grand Award for Engineering Excellence in the transportation design category. The award highlighted the design for the 15.4-mile paving project on I-89 northbound that was constructed during the summers of 2001 and 2002 between Brookfield and Montpelier. The design and maintenance of construction phasing was difficult because of heavy traffic flow that had to be maintained while all existing pavement was removed and replaced.
Virginia
BRISTOL—According to the Bristol Herald Courier, the $7.1 billion state transportation plan preserved funding for engineering of the Coalfields Expressway and right-of-way acquisition for U.S. Highway 58 improvements, but does not include funding for the U.S. 58 new construction or rebuilding I-81’s Exit 14 in Abingdon. Transportation Department Commissioner Philip Shucet said the proposed $7.1 billion, 1,590-road plan includes $6.4 billion for highway construction as well as $673.8 million to pay off deficits on 127 completed and/or ongoing projects over the next six years.
Washington
TACOMA—According to The News Tribune, the state gas tax went up by 5¢ last month. The 5¢ increase, which raises the gas tax to 28¢ a gallon, is the main source of funding for $4.2 billion in transportation projects that will be built across the state over the next decade.
West Virginia
WINFIELD—According to the Charleston Gazette, Representative Shelley Moore Capito spoke at a Putnam County transportation committee meeting last month to gain support for a new U.S. 35. At the request of Putnam and Mason officials, Capito asked Congress to reserve $50 million a year for the next six years from federal highway trust funds for the road. According to Capito, U.S. 35 carries 30 percent more than the national 7 percent average of highway truck traffic.
Wisconsin
SPRINGFIELD—According to the Capital Times, Northwestern Stone dropped plans to open a quarry. Northwestern Stone had asked the County Board’s Zoning and Natural Resources Committee to reconsider its denial of a conditional use permit for the quarry from last year, so that it could open the quarry this year. The committee turned down the conditional use permit last year amid a storm of protest from neighbors in several subdivisions near the proposed quarry site. However, Northwestern Stone representatives did not appear at a committee meeting last month where they were expected to ask for permission to reapply for the permit.
Wyoming
CHEYENNE—WYDOT’s “Don’t be a Dumass: Buckle Up!” campaign to encourage seat belt use earned second place honors in the public service announcement produced in house category from Operation Combined Accident Reduction Effort (C.A.R.E). C.A.R.E. is an international law enforcement organization that focuses on traffic safety efforts during holiday seasons and weekends.